


Persona 5: Forgive Every Sin

by MikaelBrigman



Series: FEStories [1]
Category: Persona Series, Shin Megami Tensei Series
Genre: Gen, Multi, Other, Persona 5 Protagonist is from Inaba, Tragedy/Comedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-20 13:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 72,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30005751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MikaelBrigman/pseuds/MikaelBrigman
Summary: Strength is not what sets man apart from beasts. It is the capacity for forgiveness when holding great strength that makes us human. A shame that the Shadow of the Universe lost his humanity years ago. Ren Amamiya has not lost his. A follow-up to the Fairly English Story canon created by SamJaz and Flux Casey. Updates on weekends currently. Beta'd by NoRoleModelz as of chapter 14. (Cross-posted on FF.net under the same names, updates are quicker there)
Relationships: Amamiya Ren & Lavenza (Persona Series), Amamiya Ren & Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi
Series: FEStories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2207274
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Persona 3: Fairly English Story](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/775899) by SamJaz. 



**AN:**

**To summarize the prequel to this story:**

**Minato Arisato, the male protagonist of Persona 3, was raised in England before moving back to Japan. That's the set-up that SamJaz and TVtropes gave it, and to plagiarize even further, because of that set-up, things go off the rails, fast.**

**He joins SEES, encounters protagonists from other games in the Megami Tensei series, such as the Demi-fiend, from Nocturne, featuring Dante from the Devil-May-Cry series.**

**That's not a joke, by the way. He signed Minato's Evoker after meeting him in the demon world, called the Warp.**

**There's a shit ton of references to Gurren-Lagaan, Evangelion, Warhammer 40k, and a ton of other things I didn't quite get. Chainswords and mecha-shadows were involved.**

**Time for the actual spoilers.**

**Ahem.**

**Two-timed Yuko and Chihiro, dated Yukari, cheated on her with Mitsuru, but before that, Akihiko got shot instead of Shinjiro, Shinjiro gets Earth skills, Ken gets a god-damn electromagnetic RAIL GUN, SEES goes on a trip to Inaba instead of Kyoto on a school trip, Minato meets Yukiko, Kanji, Chie, Yosuke's dad, and gets arrested for blowing something up. That part was actually the demi-fiend. Oh, yeah, he punched his grandfather, who's Raidou 'Motherfucking' Kuzonoha, and his sister, Natalie, turned into Naoto, who thought he was dead, and he thought they were dead.**

**After they get back (Also, Minato is the king of the Jakkai clan by that point), shit hits the fan, Minato brings all the previous Persona-users together, and decides he's going to kill the God of Death, Nyx.**

**God, I really don't know how to summarize it. Basically, if you know how Persona 3 went, FES is close to that, but a lot crazier. Anything I reference is close to what I remember as canon, but I do recommend reading it for yourself.**

**There was also two sequels, Face Every Shadow, by Casey W., and For Every Soul, also by Samjaz, which I will be treating as semi-canon, because neither were actually completed. You're one glorious bastard, Samjaz. I mean that with love.**

**Minato is a character study in and of himself. Magnificent Bastard is a great word for him. He got the Universe Arcana, chained Nyx to the moon, and unlike canon, left his shadow behind in his body. His shadow being named Minatos. The body killed itself eventually, and Minatos became the bastard that killed bigger bastards. The 'Epiclogue', the last chapter of FES, does not have a specified time of occurrence, therefore, not all of it has occurred yet, so keep that in mind.**

**Now, let us start the game.**

* * *

**?**

* * *

Ren Amamiya woke up in a small police department holding cell. They hadn't reached a decision on the ruling yet. Ren had a gut feeling that it would turn out for the worse. Just as he leaned back against the wall, there was a rattle on the cell door. He glanced over. A sandy-blonde brunette in a police uniform stood just outside of the bars.

"Hey, kid. The detective is here to talk to you." The woman spoke softly, and without malice. Ren got off his cell bed, holding his hands out for the cuffs. What was the point of delaying it? She opened the door and wrapped zip ties around his wrists. They walked to a room with a steel door.

"He'll be with you in a minute." Ren walked in and sat down at the metal table. The door squeaked shut behind him. The other chair in the room was empty. He leaned back in his chair.

"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

Ren sat up abruptly. The door had not opened. A boy that looked his age kicked back in the other chair, his feet on the table. He had deep blue hair, that obscured his eyes.

The clock on the wall stopped ticking.

"I… don't think you're the detective. How'd you get in here?"

"Doesn't matter. I've come to have a discussion with you, Ren Amamiya."

"Listen, if the guy was yakuza, I'm-"

"Not that kind of discussion, you bloody dolt. I know you're innocent. That guy knows you're innocent. But do you know you're innocent?" The other boy spun a blue playing card in his hands.

"What does that even mean?"

"Do you regret your actions? Or will you take responsibility?" Ren considered the question. He didn't mean to hurt the guy, but- you know what?

"What the hell, sure. Of course I regret it. All of my classmates probably hate me now, my school will expel me anyway, and most of my relatives don't even want to look at me." He breathed. "And you're asking me if I regret it? Of course I do."

"And for your responsibility? Will you accept that, even with your regret?"

"I- I don't know."

"So you're a coward, is that it?"

"I'm not a coward!"

"What would you call someone who can't accept responsibility?"

"..."

"Face it, Ren Amamiya. You're weak. You're nobody. You can't even protect one person!" The other boy's voice had a mocking tone.

"Shut the hell up!"

"Then what are you, Ren Amamiya?"

"..."

"..."

"...I tried."

"You failed."

"You think I don't know that?! I wish I could have helped that woman, I wish I could help everyone, but I can't! I don't have that power! I'm a total zero."

"Regular 'protector of humanity', ain't ya? Very well." The blue-haired boy smiled. "I had a friend. Years ago. He said something to me once, he said, 'the number zero may be empty, but it contains infinite possibilities."

"Metaphors won't help me get through this." The other boy shook his head, and pointed a finger gun at Ren's forehead.

"It's not a metaphor. _It is_ _potential_ _, Ren Amamiya. It is_ _power_. Now, it's yours." The boy kicked back his finger.

Ren heard gunshots, glass shattering, distant cries, but it was coming from- inside his head? He fell over, clutching his head. The other boy stood above him. His chair hadn't moved an inch.

_CRACK!_

Ren screamed in frozen time.

_Crack crack…_

_Crackcrack... crackcrackcrackcrackcrack... SMASH!_

_Hoowoooocohooohhooo0owowooowowohohoooooohooohohowowowowo_

What the hell!? A playing card appeared in front of Ren, blank, not a face-card nor was it numbered. No, wait, there was a picture. A bullet hole in a glass window against a black background.

_THOU ART I_

_AND I ART THOU_

_THOU HAST UNLEASHED THE POWER OF THE HOLLOW ARCANA_

What the hell was an arcana? Why did it have a picture of broken glass?

_THOU HAST OUR BLESSING, SHOULD THOU CHOOSEST TO SHARE OUR MADNESS._

Time continued. The police busted into an empty room to see a screaming Ren Amamiya rolling on the floor.

"Oh shit! Is this one of those mental breakdowns?"

"Get him restrained, dammit!"

Ren fell unconscious.

* * *

Ren Amamiya woke up a cell. This cell seemed... No, it was definitely different from the police cell. The walls were padded velvet and a brilliant blue, almost indigo. He heard chains swinging against each other in a stale wind. Ren moved off the prison bed, moving to the cell door. His vision was still blurry, his head aching from whatever that boy did to him. There was a weight on his ankle that prevented him from moving further. His vision began to clear. A hunched-over- man, probably. Not androgynous, just strange-looking. He couldn't imagine that much of a hunch was good for the back- sat behind a table, with crossed legs. He only then noticed the elementary schoolers in warden outfits. That… kind of made him uncomfortable. Eh, probably a good thing.

"Welcome, to the Velvet room. It appears you have arrived early." spoke the hunchback of notre-da- well, that's just mean- in an eerie voice. Ren bowed. He _was_ japanese, even if he was in prison, respect was proper. "My name is Igor."

"Uh, my name is Ren. Pleased to meet you." Ren responded. One of the elementary schoolers swung a baton at the bars. He didn't expect for electricity to arc from them! Ren rubbed his nose, tickled by the electricity.

"Show some respect, inmate!" said the twin holding the baton.

"Now, now, Caroline, our guest was simply being proper."

"Yes sir!" Caroline shouted, then bowed. It reminded Ren of a soldier.

"Snrk." Ren coughed, trying to cover his ass, because he didn't want to piss off someone with a thunda' stick. He turned his attention back to Igor.

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. I am the master of this room; as well as a servant of my master, Philemon." Igor gestured to the twins.

"I am Caroline." said the twin on Ren's left.

"And I am Justine." said the twin on Ren's right. They turned and bowed to Igor.

"Why did you bring me here, uh, sir?"

"Your destiny is a strange one. Your game is that of two tricksters. However, it appears that an interloper has interfered in this game." Igor held out a blue playing card. Ren could see the bullet illustration. He felt pain spike in his head, and grabbed his temple.

"It is unusual for such a bond to form so early, even more so of the Hollow Arcana." Ren could hear the capital letters.

"What do you mean, bond? What's an Arcana; Why is it Hollow?" Ren massaged his forehead.

"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed. Much can be said about a person by the Arcana they carry with them as they travel through life. Bonds you form with others give you the strength of their Arcana. However…" Igor seemed to contemplate the card. "...The Hollow Arcana is a strange one. The last holder died years ago in the waking world. I still understand little of it's intricacies. If my master was not absent, perhaps he could explain further."

"Who… who was the last holder? Am I going to die?" Ren asked, dread settling over him. Igor shook his head.

"He was a previous guest of ours. His death was not caused by the Hollow Arcana. Elizabeth was very disheartened by the loss. I would not recommend unnecessary worrying."

"Who is Elizabeth?"

"She was a previous attendant, who guided a previous guest. They were quite close. She left soon after."

"Do all attendants get, eh, buddy-buddy, with the guests? Because I don't want to go to jail for real, Igor." Ignoring the twins' outrage, Igor simply chuckled.

"I assure you, dear trickster, that you need not worry. Lavenza will be back upon your next visit. I look forward to your return." Ren had many more questions, but his eyes began feeling heavy. He felt his limbs become heavy, like his limbs were filled with lead, and he fell into the realm of sleep.

* * *

Ren awoke from hazy dreams of prison, long-nosed men, and jailbait. An odd combination to be sure, but hey, Japanese people have strange imaginations. He was restrained in a small medical room. A handcuff bit into his wrist slightly, connected to the bed frame. He sat up, his mind still foggy. A brown-haired nurse, leaned in past the door frame, saw him, and left again. He heard whispers from outside the room. A man with silver hair walked into the room.

"Did you really think faking a seizure would get you out of interrogation? I mean, seriously, with that little effort?"

"Sorry…" Ren muttered. Telling the truth about it wouldn't get him out of this, the only thing it would get him into is a psych ward.

"Well, let's get you out of there." The detective started unlocking his handcuffs. Ren heard the detective mutter, "Can't believe they'd handcuff a kid like this," under his breath.

The teenager followed the older man through the halls. They entered the recently-used interrogation room. Ren sat down in the chair he had sat in the first time.

"So, kid, let's talk about the stunt you pulled a week ago…"

* * *

**April 9th, 20XX**

* * *

Ren leaned back in a subway seat, thinking about the last few weeks. The detective's questioning went quick from there. Testimony was given. Ren was sentenced to probation within minutes of entering the courtroom. He had an overall clean record, they couldn't have been _too_ harsh on him, though he wasn't certain. His school expelled him, regardless of how the staff and students felt about it. It didn't seem like a bribe to him, but there were some pretty intimidating suits at the expulsion hearing. A school in Tokyo accepted his application, and his family got in contact with some bachelor he was going to live with, and he had school starting in two days. Could be better but could have gone worse.

Another train rumbled by, going more than twice the speed of Ren's. The lights flickered, and riders were thrown into each other. He fell forwards, barely catching himself in time. When he opened his eyes, the air itself was red. Crimson fog covered the train. The other riders were nowhere to be seen, and the world outside the subway was total darkness. He heard chains clank behind him. He scampered up, looking for the source of the noise.

clink.

clink.

clink.

clink.

A menacing floating cloak approached through the fog, covered in chains. It held two strange machines in its hands. You could call them guns or pistols, but Ren felt the word 'Bolter' would be more appropriate. Ragged cloth covered it's hooded face. Ren backed away. The cloak shook its head.

**"OUR GAME HAS NOT BEGUN, TRICKSTER."**

The world turned back to normal. The other passengers looked at him, probably wondering why he looked so terrified. Ren massaged his face, and slapped himself a few times. Maybe he actually did need to go to an asylum. Eh, must be the stress.

* * *

Ren arrived in Yongen-Jaya later than he expected. His train had stopped soon after the hallucination. There was word of a crash down the line, but he wasn't sure what happened. His eyes were starting to droop as he walked. He pulled out a folded scrap of paper. On it, was written:

_Guardian: Sojirou Sakura_

_Home Address: N/A_

_Place of Employment: Leblanc, Yongen-Jaya_

Ren didn't understand why the address was crossed out, but he figured he could find the man well enough. The backstreets were sparsely populated, and relatively compact. Well, compared to back home, at least. He walked up to the general store, which looked like an indoor yard sale.

"Excuse me, sir, could you tell me where Leblanc is? I'm looking for the owner." asked Ren. The old man's eyes crinkled and smiled.

"Looking for Sakura-san?"

"Yes sir."

"It's down that alley." The old man weakly pointed behind Ren's shoulder. Ren bowed.

"Thank you, sir." He turned and walked down the alley. Sure enough, there was a large sign with 'cafe leblanc' written in simple, minimalistic letters. He stepped aside for an eldery couple leaving the cafe. He grabbed the closing door and pulled it open again. There was a middle-aged man in a pink button-up with an apron and khaki's doing a crossword at the bar. A TV in the corner blared the news.

"Ah, Sakura-san?"

"That's me," The man laid his newspaper on the table,"I'm assuming you're the kid?"

'Yes sir, Ren Amamiya."

"You're late." The man crossed his arms, leaning back. Ren gestured to the television. There was a headline about a subway crash and casuality numbers on the screen. "These mental shutdown cases are getting worse." Ren stood there awkwardly.

"Uh, seems like it, sir."

"Mhm. Follow me upstairs." Sakura walked to the back of the cafe and up some steps. Ren followed. The attic was… spacious, to say the least. It might even be generous to call it an attic, instead of a storage room. "Bed's in the corner, your belongings are in that box." Sakura pointed at a small box. "Got a few hours 'till closing time. I'd clean up if I were you."

"Yes sir, thank you for the space," said Ren, unsarcastically.

"Watch the sarcasm." Sakura responded, with a slight glare. "Kids these days..." muttered the man as he walked back down in the cafe.

Ren looked around the attic. Dirt and dust covered the floor. Furniture was covered in tarps. He could spot what looked like a bed in the corner. He grabbed a broom and dustpan and set to work. There was tons of dust on the shelves. He popped downstairs to ask Sakura for a wet rag and pine-sol.

"Under the sink. And just call me Boss. Sakura-san makes me feel old…" The older man gestured to the bathroom and looked back to his newspaper. Ren found his query under the sink. Upstairs, he wiped down all the shelves, and fluttered off the tarps, then folded them into storage. He moved all loose boxes behind the stairs, utilizing garbage bags for the smaller junk. The tables were wiped off, and Ren swept the rest of the room. He unpacked his sewing machine and placed it on the desk in the corner. He put his loose cloth and thread in a drawer. Footsteps came up the stairs. Boss whistled. "Huh, kid, I didn't think you'd actually clean up at your age."

"Mamamiya taught me some good habits, Boss."

"Whatever. There's a bath-house down the street. Cafe closes in about an hour."

"Thank you, sir."

* * *

**AN:**

**So.**

**This is the same universe as SamJaz's Persona 3 Fairly English Story, as well as Casey W's Persona 4 Face Every Shadow. Or, at least, that's how I'm writing it. I am ignoring anything established in SamJaz's For Every Soul, because he didn't finish it. I may call him a glorious bastard at some point. Heavy emphasis on the bastard. I appreciate and respect the man, but he didn't finish the damn thing. I may take some elements from the sequel, but I will not count its entirety in the canon. Sorry about that.**

**No omake for the prologue, there will be some in later chapters when I can think of something funny.**

**This won't be the best thing you've ever read, and I won't try to make it that. Not yet anyway. I'm going to make the whole thing once before I go back to rewrite it. Having one fully written story with issues is better than two half-finished ones with cliffhangers, right? Other people rarely finish rewrites, because they start focusing on perfection rather than finishing the damn story. I'm probably no different. I am putting effort into finishing it first. There may be loose plot threads. There will be retcons. You can ignore stuff if you want. I can only hope to meet the epicness of Fairly English Story. I do think it's funny how SamJaz constantly aspired to meet Shinji and Warhammer 40k's level, when I actually think he surpassed it.**

**And no, the title does not mean that Ren will say anything about the internet's favorite flavor of mountain dew.**

**Ready? Ready.**

**Here we go.**

* * *

**(Originally posted November 2nd, 2020)**


	2. Chapter 2

**April 10th, 20XX**

* * *

When Ren woke up, he was greeted by the smell of curry wafting up into his attic. He almost went downstairs in his shirt and boxers, before remembering it was a cafe. He hastily pulled on his school uniform. He walked downstairs to see a plate of curry next to a cup of coffee on the counter.

"Eat up, kid. You're going to meet your teachers today. I'm closing the cafe today to drive you there."

"Thank you Sa- Boss." The man nodded. Ren dug into the curry. It was pretty spicy, but the coffee strangely complimented the taste. "How do you get coffee to go so well with curry? I'm surprised."

"Old recipe of a… friend of mine that I perfected."

"Well, give them my thanks," said Ren. Boss's scowl deepened. Ren stopped eating. "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't- I'm sorry." Ren stumbled over his words, looking away. Boss sighed and rubbed his neck.

"Whatever kid, just… hurry up. You've got a meeting to get to." Ren nodded, focusing on the plate. The coffee was bitter in his mouth. He washed his dish quickly and walked to Boss's house for the ride. There was light coming out of an upstairs window.

"Hey, Boss, I think you left a light on."

"Mind your own business," said Boss, sharply.

* * *

It was an awkward ride to the school. Heavy traffic, too. Seemed like the train schedule was still out of whack, and people had to drive en masse.

They walked to the school gate and had to ask a brunette girl where the principal's office was. She gladly pointed them in the right direction.

The inside of the principal's office was filled with plaques and shiny decorations. Behind the desk… _Oh, that's a person?_ The large man behind the desk was wearing a mustard-beige suit, his tie bulging outwards, and the rolls of his neck almost obscured it completely. A tired-looking woman stood next to the desk. He'd assume it the bags under her eyes were fake eyeshadow, given how dark they were, but her slump said otherwise. _Jabba the Hutt_ \- The principal- monologued about good behavior and how Ren needed to take responsibility for himself. He nodded, having heard it before. Though, he didn't hear gunshots or collapse this time. The tired-looking woman introduced herself as his homeroom teacher but forgot to actually say her name.

"Here is your student I.D, Amamiya-san. Don't lose it. It's also your student pass for the subway." He took the plastic card, noticing a slip of pink paper falling on the floor. _Miss Victoria's French Maid Service? What the-_ Ren had a sudden flash of a diminutive blond boy with a bowl cut and a fan. Strange. Is that gay? You never know with those damn Frenchies. Well, it is 20XX; Topic for a later- Oh, she noticed the paper. The teacher's eyes widened and quickly picked up the slip, shoving it into a pocket. Ren knew women appreciated having pockets. Must be handy for a teacher... What does any of this have to do with school? Hm, Boss must have put something in the curry…

Before Ren knew it, he was headed back home. Home is where the attic is, right? Should get that engraved on a plaque. While Boss stepped out for a minute, he ate some more curry but chose to just have water, to save him from a sleepless caffeinated night. The doorbell jingled.

"Hey kid, your family sent you some allowance. Don't get any weird ideas." Boss handed him a few thousand yen. "There should be a small fridge in all that junk upstairs. If you buy anything, keep it in there. You can use the kitchen equipment in here when we're closed. But don't touch anything in the store fridge, you got that?" Explained Boss, with force. _Got it, don't mess with another man's food. If you want to live, that is._

* * *

**April 11th, 20XX**

* * *

Ren ate quickly that morning, wanting to get to school on time. He nearly forgot his umbrella but noticed the forecast on the café's television. The weather was clear on his short walk to the station. The trains were late again. Seems like there really was an accident on Saturday. Sure enough, it was pouring by the time he walked out of the station a while later. He passed a cute girl with red tights before walking through the underpass.

"Excuse me! Can I walk with you? I forgot my Umbrella!" Ren's head turned to the blonde at the edge of the rain cover.

"Yeah, sure, plenty of room." He tilted the wide parasol, sprinkling rain on his shoulder. Oops. The girl smiled and walked up next to him. Her long twin-tails bounced on her shoulders. He focused on keeping his eyes forward and not looking down to his left for anything else that bounced. _Didn't want to make the wrong impression on a hot girl,_ his inner man nodded approvingly. How does something in your own head nod?

"Are you new to Shujin?" Ren nodded dumbly, keeping his eyes forward.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Uh, you're wearing the uniform," The girl laughed.

"Ah. Looks like I am. Just transferred in from the sticks."

"Really? You don't have an accent."

"Knew a lot of city folks. 'Course, they did a lot of the talking." He said.

"That sounds about right." The girl nodded, then sighed. "People do love to talk around here. Especially about others. But hey, that's how it is." Ren nodded. He thought rumor-mongering only happened in bad TV shows that needed cheap drama, but, hey, he'd keep an open mind.

"So," the girl leaned forward, wrapping her arms behind her back."Why'd you transfer in?" He shrugged.

"Felt like it." He lied. They walked a bit further. While Ann may have been oblivious to (or purposefully ignoring) the looks the passing students gave them, Ren noticed, and simply averted his gaze. He didn't want to start any trouble, especially since he hadn't even _started_ at his new school.

"Next left." The girl said abruptly. Around the corner was a remarkably bland mass of boxes. Then Ren realized it was the school. A minor distinction, but important nonetheless. They walked through the gates. As they entered the campus, a mass of eyes turned towards him and the blonde girl. Embarrassed by the scrutiny, he struggled to keep his composure. The blonde turned towards him for stopping. She raised an eyebrow.

"Lighten up, Umbrella-kun!" She laughed, smacking the back of his head. Now, it didn't _hurt_ , but it was a little embarrassing to get knocked over by a girl. Is that sexist? Ren didn't think he was sexist. Meh, inner discussion for a later date. He pushed himself back up, having managed to keep himself out of the puddles. He turned to the blonde, and raised his own eyebrow. No, not a euphemism; he's not a masochist. The girl blushed and rubbed her neck.

"Well, see you around." She giggled, then walked into the school. He looked around at the people staring at him. He coughed loudly. They all went back to their normal business. He walked through the doors, putting away his umbrella, but was nearly immediately stopped by one of the teachers. 'Twas a large man, with slicked-back dark hair with strands of gray.

"Amamiya!" The man shouted, only a few feet away.

"Sir." Ren bowed  
"Random bag check, hand it over." Ren heavily doubted the randomness of the bag check but obliged. The older man sifted through his materials, looking for any illicit items.

"Hmph. You're clear. Keep it up, Amamiya." The man said, with a stern glare. Ren lightly took the bag back and started walking to the faculty office. He could feel the man's glare on the back of his head. Ren heard whispers from the other students as he passed.

"Oh, who's that?"

"I heard we were getting a transfer student this year." He hoped the bit about his probation didn't get out.

"What's his name? Mamamiya?" Ren snickered. The misspelling was as common as the word 'mother' in the Amamiya household.

"Oof, Ushimaru-sensei bag checked him on the first day, tough luck." Again, not-so-random random selection is not random.

"Why is his hair so frizzy?" Ren knew he forgot something that morning. Regardless, it did that whether he combed it down or not, and gel just made it oily.

Ren arrived at the faculty office. He opened the door and poked his head inside. The tired-looking woman, Kawakami, was rubbing her temple and doing paperwork. She looked up and saw him in the doorway.

"Ah, Amamiya-san." She gestured him over to her. The teacher stood up from the table. "You'll be introducing yourself to the class. Don't say anything embarrassing. Follow me." Ren nodded, following his teacher through the halls. The whispering quickly died off, as getting to class before it started became a priority. The teacher slid the classroom door open. Ren bowed to the class before turning to the board. He picked up a piece of chalk and wrote his name in Katakana. Students in the class started whispering.

"Oh, I did hear we were getting a transfer."

"Hey, you know why he transferred in?"  
"Nah, I heard he was from the sticks."

"Ren Mamamiya? Is that your idea of a joke?" Kawakami said, in the tired monotone, glancing back to the board. Ren hurriedly turned around to fix the 'Ma.' He whipped around and bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry, old habit." His classmates laughed lightly.

"Whatever. Take a seat… behind Takamaki-san, next to the window." Ren looked over to the blonde he walked with earlier. He nodded, and sat down at his desk. "Alright, time for homeroom…"

Ren had tuned most of the syllabus speeches out, nothing really stuck out to him. Nothing like that one Egyptophile teacher he had back home. The blonde girl, Takamaki, turned around in her seat after classes finished. "Mamamiya? Really?"

"It's Amamiya, Takoyaki-san." He said, stretching his arms. The girl laughed.

"That's a new one, ha!" She smiled, then lowered her voice. "I hope Shiho doesn't find out about that one…"

"Find out about which one, Takoyaki-san?" Said a teasing approaching voice. He could swear that Takamaki muttered 'shit' under her breath. A girl with a ponytail stopped next to his desk. She laughed at her friend's expense, then turned to him. "Oh! Are you the new transfer student?" Ren nodded. And so, the interrogation continued.

"Yeah, I'm from out in the country. Inaba."

"Huh, I've heard of it. Shiho, isn't that "hottie detective" that you're always talking about from around there?" said Tako- ahem, Takamaki, with air quotes. Ignoring Shiho's blush, Ren responded.

"Yeah, that guy with silver hair? I, uh-know him. Cool dude." Ren spoke while nodding, remembering the detective he had spoken to.

"Really? Are you friends? Could you introduce me?" Shiho said excitedly. Ren ignored the snickering blonde sitting to the side.

"Well, uh, we're not really friends, and he's probably really busy anyway, sorry," said Ren. Shiho frowned.

"Aw, tough luck Shiho. Well, you met him once, so it's not too bad."

"You met him? What'd you do?" Ren asked, then mentally face-palmed at himself for the typical 'what are ya in for?' line he'd seen on prison TV shows. Ann raised her eyebrow, and Shiho started looking nervous, crossing her arms and rubbing her elbows, averting her gaze.

"Ahm, well, after Kamoshida got murdered last year…" Ren let some shock slip onto his face. Takamaki mouthed 'gym coach' to him. "The cops, they… found a list next to the body. They went through his house, and found a- journal, i think it was- of things he did, and, uh, things he planned to do; to his students." Ren like the floor had dropped out from beneath him in his chest.

"Oh my- I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me," Ren hung his head in shame. The girl looked up with a trace of a smile.

"He hadn't done anything to me, don't worry about it. They, the cops, they said he had started writing a lot about me and Ann. Detective Seta was pretty involved in the investigation, said a massive string of murders with similar circumstances were going on. He questioned me, and it's the weirdest thing when he looks at you, it's like he's looking through you, and he can get the truth out of people without saying a word. He pulled a Phoenix Wright in the courtroom once on a mobster, y'know? He's so cool! I heard a rumor that he moonlights as a bartender when he gets time off." Shiho started smiling again. Ren pictured the serious-looking detective standing up and shouting ' _ **OBJECTION!**_ ' in a Japanese courtroom. He started coughing, choking on his own laughter. The girls looked concerned, but he shook it off.

"I'd do an impression"- Ren coughed- "But I'm afraid the pajama pants would ruin the look." Ann looked down at his pant leg under the desk and giggled. Shiho hid a smile behind her hand.

"That guy would totally do it if it would get him another spin-off." Ren's head whipped around. That blue-haired boy hovered outside the window, smirking.

"Hm? What are you looking at, Mamamiya-kun?" Asked Shiho, leaning over to see out the window.

"Ah, nothing." _But would you happen to have any Advil? I feel a headache coming on._ The boy disappeared as he shook his head. "And it's Amam-"

"YO!" The three looked at the door. A boy with neon yellow hair had slammed the door open.

"Hey, Ryuji," Ann replied, with her inside voice, waving.

"Hey." He nodded. "Is Ren Mamamiya here?" Ryuji continued, bringing his voice up what felt like a dozen octaves. Ren pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I swear to g-" Ren muttered- "It's AMAMIYA!" He declared loudly.

"You spell your own name wrong once and they never let you forget it…" Ann said, giggling.

"Right, right. Council prez wants to have a chat with you." Ren nodded. Shiho stepped back so Ren could get up.

"Later, Mama-miya-kun." said Ann and Shiho as Ren waved and closed the door on his way out. A few seconds later he slid the door open slightly.

"AM-AM-I-YA." Ren enunciated each syllable, then pulled the door shut tight. He shook his head to himself. "I can see why mother got annoyed by that," muttered Ren.

"We going?" Ryuji asked, leaning against the corridor's wall.

"Yeah, we going." Ren followed Ryuji up the third floor.

"So, what did you do so early to get on the Prez's bad side?"

"I dunno, probably just a transfer thing." It probably was a transfer thing, but one more specific to his criminal circumstances. "Unrelated, but why are you helping out with the Student Council? Not that I don't appreciate what they do! You just don't really look like the type." Said Ren, holding up his palms in defense. Ryuji stopped on the mid-stairwell landing. He scratched his chin and appeared to be thinking.

"Prez helped me out last year, there was some trouble with a teacher." Ryuji strained.

"Kamoshida?"

"Yeah, the gym coach. How'd you know about him?"

"Takoyaki- I mean, Takamaki-san, and her friend were talking about it." Ren really should have remembered his lunch. "Just a guess."

"Huh. I guess they were pretty shaken up after that whole deal came out." Ryuji said, continuing to walk. "He was rough on the track team. Fucker almost broke my leg." Ren suddenly had a coughing fit. He really should have expected someone who acted like a delinquent to speak like one, but he didn't from someone in the student council! "You good, dude?" Ryuji looked concerned.

"Yeah, yeah, must be- ahk!- the pollen, I'm- huff -fine." Ryuji nodded and gestured to the student council's door.

"Whenever you're ready." Ren thanked him and slid open the door.

The student council room possessed a collection of the most uptight individuals the school had to offer. Unless Shujin also had a wet-blanket club, Hey, people get bored in the sticks. If it wasn't the American Football club, it was something like that. Or it was just Yasogami's actual student council. Eh, same difference. Ren was interrupted in his musings of correlations of making rules and being damp cloth by a brunette girl at the end of the student council's 'U' shaped table.

"Amamiya-san, welcome, please, take a seat." The girl, who was obviously the president, pierced his soul with bright red eyes, forcing him to obey. Or he simply fell prey to a pretty girl. He would never admit to the latter, of course. Ren sat in a chair in the middle of the 'U,' surrounded on three sides by student council members. He folded his hands in his lap. The president stared eerily at him, not even blinking. He heard the council members whisper, but he was too busy sweating under the president's gaze. It was like a t-rex and a paralyzed human in that one 'Triassic Pier' movie Ren watched years ago...

"Is this the right guy? Doesn't look like a criminal…"

"Nah, Prez is never wrong, come on…"

"We're not allowed to tell anyone, too…"

"He's not very threatening, but hey, you never know…" Ren was alarmed.

"Excuse me," asked Ren, meekly, looking down from the council president's gaze. The council stopped whispering, and all looked straight at him. Oh look, now it's the velociraptors. How nice.

"Em- Pleasedontleakmyrecord," said Ren, quickly, trying to keep his voice from cracking. He bowed forward in his seat, much like a certain shot of the Shinji Ikari near the end of Evange- wait, what? Anyway, he clasped his hands together. He chanced to look up. The student council president smiled down at him. Mutters.

"Prez does it again…"

"Her sister must teach her intimidation techniques…"

"It's kinda scary how she does that…"

"Alright everyone, cut that out." said the interroga- student council president. The room seemed to warm considerably. Ren sat up, keeping his posture straight. Once again, brought down by the power of teenage hormones. "I apologize if that was stressful to you, but thank you for coming today, Amamiya-san; or as I heard Sakamoto-san yell, Mamamiya-kun." The president spoke as if she was trying to reach someone in the hallway. Ren heard a snort from outside the door. "Seriously, Ryuji-kun, you didn't need to yell. I could hear you from here." Ren could hear some muttered apologies. "Anyway. Introductions before business. My name is Makoto Niijima, Student Council President." Ren did listen to the other member's introductions but didn't think much of it. "Thank you for coming today, Amamiya-san. We'd like to discuss your future at Shujin Academy." Ren nodded, and then remembered the staff list.

"Isn't that the guidance counselor's job? No offense," said Ren. Niijima shook her head.

"None taken. Of course, I mean your social behavior. Your school grades were decent enough in your hometown, so I don't think you'll find any trouble there. However, I am concerned you may be looking for trouble elsewhere."

"I don't intend to get in trouble, I understand the terms of my probation," said Ren, speaking clearly enough to make sure they understood.

"Very good. You can give a basic defense."

"Uh, yes, Niijima-san." Ren prepared himself for the mental brigade.

"I'm very curious. Why did you attack that man?"

"He was forcing himself on a woman."

"Did that woman not testify against you?"

"I don't know why, but yes." Ren shrugged.

"Did you not have knives and a disguise in your bag?"

"Inaba was having a costume party, I took off the clothes and accessories before I left. Inaba's in the middle of no-where, we rarely get any events like that. I wasn't going to miss it," said Ren, gesticulating to nothing as he spoke.

"Amamiya-kun, you have to understand that you can't make excuses."

"You asked, didn't you? The truth is the truth, no matter how circumstantial it may seem." Niijima raised her eyebrow.

"That is correct… in cases where the truth is told. I don't think anyone will believe that."

"Do you believe it?" Ren's voice began rising.

"Whether or not I believe you or not is inconsequential, it is the threat you may pose to the student body that matters."

"Niijima-san, I sew in my spare time. The sharpest thing I ever carried on me was a needle, or, or, or cloth scissors. I don't have the muscles to throw a right hook or any kind of punch. I'm not tall, just lanky, what threat could-"

"Amamiya-san, enough! There could be a perceived threat. The perception of the students is what matters. If they perceive danger, they feel fear. And I will not allow fear at Shujin Academy!" The president slammed a palm on the table.

"You can choose to not believe me. Just don't leak my record. Please. Things are looking up for me," said Ren, bowing again, however much he disliked the ruling.

"Very well. After all, you are also a student at Shujin Academy as well." She pointed at him. "If you feel the fear of the threat of your record being leaked, then there must be no threat." She crossed her arms. The student council followed suit. "I promise that your record will remain secret for as long as you behave in my school. Any students revealing such information will be punished to the highest degree. Do you accept these terms, Ren Amamiya?"

"Yes, Niijima-san. Thank you," said Ren, who was legitimately thankful. This was an authority he could rely on.

"There is no problem. Watch yourself. You are dismissed." Ren stood and bowed. He opened the door, walked out, and slowly closed it behind him. He nodded to Ryuji and walked to the nearest bathroom. Once inside, he locked himself in a stall and started wringing the sweat out of his undershirt.

* * *

Omake

Everyone in the student council room released a held breath. Niijima continued the meeting.

"So, Suzuhara-san, about the summer trip fund-" She was interrupted as Ren poked his head in.

"Yes, Amamiya-san? Did you forget something?" said Niijima, her hands held on the desk.

"Eh, sorry for yelling. Won't happen again." The door slid shut again. Niijima giggled.

* * *

**AN:**

**Spot the lazy Evangelion reference. Not the overt one.**

**On a more serious note, which is only slightly less silly, this is the second chapter. It was a bit difficult working out the consequences the events of P3FES would have on canon, but I think I've got it down. Kamoshida is long gone and dealt with. How the palace roadmap is going to work? I don't have a clue either. It's going to mostly be showing the impact Minato/s has on the world for a bit. (A Third Impact, if you will.) Sorry if the pacing seems out of wack. A slight spoiler, you'll probably think Minatos is as much of a bastard as his older brother later. What that means, I don't know yet either. Sorry if you didn't find the Mamamiya jokes very funny, but they won't stick around for long.**

**First review segment on the show, happy to be here.**

**LuminousUrsidae- I do intend on keeping the themes of the original Persona 5/s intact. At least, I think. I'm pretty sure I know what to do with that. May change in the future. I plan on including a lot of stuff, including Royal additions, and some which aren't even from the original canon. Again, I intend on making this as, ahem, Batshit insane, as Fairly English Story. Thanks for the first review.**

**I plan on updating** **at least** **once a week. Maybe more, maybe less, but that's the standard I will try to hold myself to.**


	3. Chapter 3

**April 12th, 20XX**

* * *

Ren met Ann and Shiho by coincidence while leaving the subway station.

"Oh, hey Mamamiya-kun, good morning!"

"Hello, Amamiya-san."

"Morning. And by the way, please; just call me Ren. I'm not used to the formality around here."

"Alright, then you can call me Ann from now on!" The blonde smiled.

"Um, my first name is fine," said Shiho, twiddling her fingers

"Alright then-" Ren was interrupted by a sudden yell.

"NOOOOOO! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" A passing, rather distraught boy broke out into tears and ran down an alley.

"Odd fella." Ren wondered aloud. "Wonder what that was about."

"Guys are weirdos," Ann responded, shaking her head.

"Never been so offended by something I one-hundred percent agree with."

* * *

Leaving school, Ren heard some strange sounds coming from around a corner. Not _those_ kinds of sounds, either, though that would be _just_ as disconcerting. Peering around the edge, he saw some guys in tracksuits yelling in the alcove. He was curious, but he kept his distance and pressed himself back against the wall. He heard punches being thrown.  
"Damn it, Sakamoto, we said stop showing up to practice. You ain't welcome here!" Ren heard a grunt. The smack of a kick. Ren's vision blurred. _Damn it. I can't do anything._ He dashed behind a tree, hiding from sight. Seconds later, a few other students in tracksuits passed by, not noticing him. After the students had left his sight, he leaned inside the alcove. A bruised student with yellow hair was on the ground. _Shit._ Ren ran over to the other boy, kneeling down next to him.  
"Holy shit, man, are you okay?" He shook the boy.

"Yeah, man, just... give me a minute. Hey… that you, transfer student? It's… Mamamiya, right?" Asked the other boy, face planted in the grass.

"It's Ama- You know what, sure, not important. Dude, you need to go to the nurse's office! Now!" said Ren, sounding panicky.

"Not the nurse. They'll ask how I got injured, and then the prez would probably find out." Sakamoto groaned.

"Why wouldn't you want them to find out? Those guys beat you up pretty bad."

"It's nothing man, just… hrrph!" Ryuji tried to push himself up, but couldn't. "I'll deal with them later…"

"Is a private clinic okay?" Ren asked, remembering a punk doctor he'd seen in Leblanc. Boss said she ran a clinic a little ways away from the cafe. Sakamoto looked at him strangely.

"Whatever, man... I don't need any… blrgg!" Sakamoto threw up in the grass.

"Alright, come on." Ren pulled the blond-boy up.

"Where…" said the boy, slurring his words.

"Clinic over in Yongen-Jaya. Try not to throw up on the train."

Luckily, Ren was able to avoid teachers on his way out of the school. Most of the other students had left by the time he convinced Sakamoto to go to the damn doctor. He got some strange looks on the train, but the blond's hood covered most of the injuries. Ren shouldered the door to the clinic open while practically carrying the injured boy.

"Excuse me, eh, Takemi-san?" The punk doctor was wearing a lab-coat but still had the aesthetic. She barely looked up from the medical magazine she was reading. Ren did spot a few heavy metal magazines behind the counter. Not what you'd expect in a small town clinic. "My… friend here got a little beaten up. Don't suppose you could take a look at him?" Ren asked. In retrospect, it might have seemed rude, but you try carrying someone your own weight a quarter-mile without getting irritated.

"Alright. Please head to the exam room.' She said, getting up from behind the counter. He walked through the door to the right and let Sakamoto fall onto the bed with a groan. Doctor Takemi came in from behind him.

"Alright. Move so I can take a look." The woman made a shooing motion, her other hand in a coat pocket. _Obey the hot woman, Mamamiya,_ thought one part of him. _And why should I… actually that's a good idea regardless of if she's hot_ , responded Ren, inside his own head. He sat down outside the exam room, pulling out his phone. _Wait… God-damn it, I started calling myself Mamamiya!_

Ann burst into the clinic a few minutes later. Shiho calmly opened the door seconds after.

"Where is he?" Ann asked him, her eyes sharp. Ren flicked his head to the exam room's door. He stood up to follow as the girls rushed to the door.

"Ryuji!"

"Oh shi-" Ren heard the neon-haired boy mutter before he covered his ears. The yelling pierced through anyway.

"You idiot! Was it those track bastards again?!"  
"Mmm… han'ling-"  
"Handling it? HANDLING IT? YOU'RE IN THE HOSPITAL, DAMN IT RYUJI, YOU CALL THAT 'HANDLING IT'?!" Yelled the blonde girl. Ren doubled over, trying to protect his sense of hearing.

"He's not going to be the only one in the hospital if you don't keep it down." The doctor inside the room said, with an icy glare. She tapped in front of her ear. "Burst eardrums are difficult to repair." Oh, that's what she meant. Totally not a threat. Though, Ren certainly wouldn't mind some threatening in the- wait, huh, what? Ren leaned further in the doorway. Ryuji huddled in the corner of his medical bed in his boxers. He could see black and blue on his torso, and traces of technicolor on his face.

"I really don't think he's in the most, eh, comprehensive state right now, Ann." _If he was, he probably would have enjoyed the examination. And would have known that three girls were in the same room as him while he was half-naked._

"Hmph." Ann turned to Ren with a scowl. "And you…" Her expression softened. She wrapped him in a bear-hug. Ren blushed and stared at the wall next to him. His arms were pinned at his sides, while an attractive girl pressed into him. Nice shade of light blue, he thought. Probably should buy some cloth sheets in that color, he was running low before his transfer and hadn't had the opportunity to restock. "Thanks, seriously. Ryuji and I go way back."

"No problem, just seemed like a good idea."

"Y'know… you're alright, Ren Mamamiya."

_I am thou_

_Thou art I_

_Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of mortality._

_With the bond of the Lovers Arcana, Thou will obtain the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

Huh, another one. He didn't feel like keeling over this time though. Weird. Wait, so was the first time not a hallucination? Or was he hallucinating again? His thoughts were pushed aside when Ann spoke.

"Hey, Shiho, you wanna get in on this?" Ann turned her head to Shiho and laughed. The athletic girl blushed.

"Uh, yeah, sure." She walked over and awkwardly wrapped an arm around him and Ann. Takemi sat at her desk, shaking her head.

"Teenagers." She laughed to herself, quietly. Ryuji groaned in his corner, unconscious.

* * *

Omake: Dealing with the- wait, is Death worse than Devil?

"Please Doctor Takemi, clear my friend's medical bill, I'll do _anything_." Ren lay prostrate and pleaded with the older woman.

"Anything?" The punk doctor uncrossed her legs and smiled. Ren bowed his head further and gulped.

No, not hot nurse sex.

It was much worse.

**PAPERWORK!**

* * *

Omake: In hot- coffee?

"So," Boss fixed Ren with a glare, as the student walked into leblanc. "Are you going to explain why you're so late?"

"Was helping a friend. Honest, Boss." Ren held up his hands, attempting to placate the older man.

"Don't you lie to me, or you're going downtown to juvie!"

"I'm being honest, Boss! I was just helping someone out!"

"Oh, I believe that part. You seem like the type to help someone out."

"Then what's the lie!?"

"That you have friends."

* * *

Omake, but maybe not: Bechdel Test

_A few days later..._

Shiho and Ann went shopping in the underground mall. The jewelry store had a new drop, and the modeling agency got a discount. Shiho was there because there's a sports store nearby.

"Say, Ann…" Shiho asked.

"Hmm?" Ann lifted a nice blouse from a clothing rack, looking it over.

"Well, um, I don't mean this in a mean way, but you and Ren get along pretty well. I mean, you just met, right?" Ann nodded, and appeared to be thinking while running a hand over the cloth.

"Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"You know…" She trailed off, pushing the tips of her fingers together.

"Oh…" Ann whispered, mostly to herself. Shiho winced. She started getting nervous when she was around guys after the 'questioning'. Ann's smile suddenly beamed.

"You _like_ him, don't you?" Ann laughed.

"This is just like you…" Shiho knew her friend wasn't an idiot, but for a model, the girl really did not get social cues! Must be a side effect of the soap operas. English ones, of course.

"Though I can't blame you…" Ann seemed thoughtful. "He seems nice, don't ya think?"

"Well, I mean…"

"He just gives off that good kind of vibe, right?"

"I guess…"

"Plus! He didn't stare at my boobs when we first met. At _all_!" There was a still silence around them. Surrounding patrons froze, processing words that really weren't their business.

"Your priorities, Ann... I'll never understand them." Shiho sighed.

"Ren's just a cool kind of guy. Like Ryuji, but not an idiot." She laughed. Probably still mad about the neon blond getting sent to the hospital.  
"You only _just_ met him!" Shiho grew exacerbated by her friend's lack of caution.

"I know, I know… He's done some nice things, remember? He did lug Ryuji through Tokyo just to get him treated."

"Yeah, but…"

"And he hasn't spread any rumours about me."

"That's the bare minimum-"

"But y'know, you seem _pretty_ intent on keeping him away from me." Shiho blushed, remembering her slight overreaction to something Ren said about volleyball.

"It's nothing!"

"You _do_ like him!" The pair's argument, though hushed, traveled in whispers through the mall.

Ren pressed himself further against the back wall of the crafts shop, praying to not be seen. The owner looked at him strangely. A graying man, with a well-tamed beard.

"You know those two, sonny?"

"Please don't tell them I'm-" Ren noticed the sudden silence in the mall.

"Oh, hello Ren. We were just talking about you."

_Shit._

* * *

**AN:**

**I'm sorry about the short chapter, I just wanted to get the Omake's out with the associated segment. And for the drama for the next chapter. Or something like that, I'm a pretentious bastard after all.**

**Maybe another update in a few days, I do have a decent amount of new stuff, but I need to beta it. If you're lucky, I'll get another one out tonight.**

**Anyway, time to talk about Fairly English Story. I like that Minato is legitimately morally gray as a protagonist. Not 'oh I just saved these orphans time to kick a dog' morally gray, I mean 'Yeah I killed a bunch of school children to save the world, and you don't even know what I actually think about that'. Great character. Also, don't read this if you haven't finished Fairly English Story. Face Every Shadow might be optional, but that's a pretty good story as well, so I'd read it.**

**Also, does anyone else hate when Yuko or Chihiro are used for the development of the main romance in P3 fics? That's mad disrespectful to just have a character exist to be cheated on/cheat with. Reason I didn't like The Fool's Tournament. Aside from y'know, the cannibalism sex. Didn't finish the thing yet, but I don't intend to. Fairly English Story handled those two okay-ish, kind of unrealistic, but SEES be summoning demons by shooting themselves tho. This is probably incoherent. Oh well.**


	4. Chapter 4

**April 13th, 20XX**

* * *

Ren had trouble getting to sleep the previous night. He stayed at the clinic with Ann and Shiho to make sure Ryuji got home okay, and then had to deal with Boss about being _super_ late, which was definitely not good for the blood pressure, and then study, and then… He was so tired that he couldn't remember what he did. It was half-past midnight when the quiet buzz of Yongen-Jaya finally lured him to sleep.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, or should I say, welcome back, my dear guest." Ren opened his eyes. He stood inside what looked like a casino in his school uniform. Those boxes looked like betting machines, and that was _definitely_ a massive slot machine behind Igor. There were even two bar areas on either side.

"Hello, Igor, my hallucinations seem to be getting stranger." The hunched man chuckled.

"It is not a simple hallucination, Trickster. The Velvet Room is a canvas that is painted upon by the heart of its current guest. Any changes in it's form are by those made in the heart of it's guest. At one time, it was similar to this for a previous guest." Ren was about to ask why his heart was a prison a few weeks ago, when he was interrupted.

"Hey, I might not be Him, but I can enjoy the drinks; right, old man?" Ren looked to the left and saw a blue-haired boy sipping a drink at the right bar.

"Ah, I see the Shadow of the Universe could not settle for human-made alcohol?" Igor questioned the boy, turning his neck at a weird angle, even for him.

"Right now, this has the taste of tap water, seriously, get the kid some Personae, old man," said the blue-haired boy, sipping the clear liquid from a martini glass.

"Um, excuse me, am I missing something here?"

"I apologize, Trickster. Your questions will be answered in due time."

"You know, He probably thought you were a cryptic bastard, even more than I do."

"I don't think that!"

"Not you, dolt. Or, fool, if that's the term you'd prefer." Igor chuckled. "I mean Him. Minato Arisoto. The Universe."

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"Should have expected as much," The blue-haired boy shook his head, taking a sip.

"Stop bothering my Trickster, Minatos."

"Hey, I'm just trying to get a drink, and aren't you a bit young to be here?"

"Keep quiet, I'm as old as you are." Ren turned to the new, feminine voice. A girl leaned against the bar on his left. She had long, platinum blonde hair, yellow eyes, and a fairly light complexion. She seemed to be about Ren's age, if not older. She wore what could be described as a modest barmaid's outfit, the frilled sleeves reached down to her gloved elbows, and her velvet blue dresses' length was hidden behind the bar. A frilled apron had golden letters that spelled 'OXYMORON' wrapped around her chest.

"Is it normal for people with a blue color schema to randomly show up in here, Igor?"

"Alas, it seems that Elizabeth's siblings all share the same fashion sense. To your left, is Lavenza, your attendant. She will assist you throughout your journey. On your right, is the shade of a previous guest, Minatos, known in some circles as the Shadow of the Universe. I do not recommend speaking of him near more dubious individuals."

"Greetings, Trickster. I am pleased to meet you again." The woman in blue nodded to him.

"Again?"

"You have met Lavenza in her damaged form- or rather, forms- previously, dear guest." _Those twins? Well, if you added the suspected ages… yeah, that makes sense. Sure, his imaginary friends could do the fusion dance, why not?_

"You're welcome, by the way, for me stopping the interloper from getting any further." The blue-haired boy swirled his drink.

"You are as much of an interloper, might I remind you, Minatos?" Lavenza said to the other boy.

"Ah, come on, the room would have been in far worse shape if I didn't do anything, and anyway, you got your true form back; the scar on your chest is minimal damage." The blue-haired boy, Minatos, shrugged his shoulders, taking another drink.

"Scar? Oh, you peeping little-" Lavenza hopped over the bar.

"Is it normally this… lively, around here?" Ren asked, turning his attention away from the others. Igor chuckled.

"There hasn't been much activity in the Velvet Room in recent years, prior to the beginning of your journey. I must say, I have missed the atmosphere."

"Can you tell me more about this interloper? And what kind of journey am I supposed to go on? And what's the deal with the room changing?"

"Should you follow your true path, you will come to know. Goodbye for now, trickster."

"Oh, son of a-" Ren heard laughter from the blue-haired boy as he faded back into unconsciousness.

* * *

Ren got caught in a crowd of other students on his way to school. He didn't see any distinct blonde or neon hair in the crowd, but he did see a girl with bright, crimson hair, tied up in a ponytail. Other students in the crowd spoke to each other.

"Hey, isn't that the honor student?" Asked a girl nearby Ren, who was speaking to another plain-looking boy.

"Yeah, the gymnast first-year, Kasumi Yoshizawa, right?"

"Heard she scored pretty high in the prefecture last year…"

"How's she special? Not like any other athletes get treated differently," grumbled a different student with gym clothes sticking out of their bag.

"Do you think they're starting a gymnastics team-" Ren couldn't hear the rest, as the train screeched into the station. He ended up standing next to the honor student in question, funnily enough, who was sitting down. An old lady who was holding onto a pole dropped her grocery bag. Faster than Ren could blink, the red-haired girl caught the bag.

"This is an awfully heavy bag, ma'am, please, take my seat," said the girl, holding the bag for the woman while getting up. Another businessman sat down before anyone could move.

"Excuse me, sir-" Ren moved to ask the salaryman to get back up.

"Aw, that's not necessary dearie, but thank you- bless your kind young hearts." The woman's eyes crinkled as she smiled at both of them. Ren rubbed his neck, shaking his head. The train arrived at Aoyama-Itchome station soon after. Sure enough, there was another rush of students leaving the subway. He walked towards the school leisurely, not spotting anyone he knew. A short presence appeared beside him. He glanced to the side. The red-haired girl had caught up with him.

"Hello!" The girl cheerfully greeted him.

"Um, hi?" _I guess_. Ren responded, awkwardly, not exactly used to cute girls greeting him out of the blue.

"Thanks for the help on the train! That was really nice of you!" The girl said, walking alongside him. Ren couldn't help blushing. Hey, kindness is an attractive trait for a person to have. _Y'know, aside from having a nice-_ Shut up, me, thought Ren to himself.

"It was nothing, I really didn't do anything." Ren shrugged off the thanks. He really _didn't_ do anything.

"Sure you did! You were ready to help that nice old woman. That's a good thing!" The girl was very cheery. Probably had too much sub-par not-from-LeBlanc coffee- Wait, brand loyalty already? Well, it _was_ pretty good coffee.

"Hey, whatever you say." The girl giggled.

"Well, it's nice to meet you! I'm a first-year if you couldn't tell from the uniform." _I can't see all the way down there, pipsqueak._

A short boy with blond hair and a red cloak screamed in the distance.

"'Ah, I'm a second-year, though I just transferred in…"

"Oh! Are you the Mamamiya I've been hearing about?" Ren felt like finding a suitable wall and giving it some love-taps. With his skull.

"It's Amamiya. _Ren_ Amamiya." He overcorrected. God knows what else the other students will butcher his name into.

Probably 'Renjamin' or something.

"And you're… Kasumi Yoshizawa? The gymnast honor-student?"

"Yes, that's me!" The girl replied, eagerly. Her voice lowered as if talking to herself. "I don't know about honor student though... I didn't ask to be treated differently…"

"Yeah, being treated differently isn't always good." Ren sympathized with Kasumi's plight.

He could only imagine how bad it would have been for him if his record got out.

"Oh! Just pretend i didn't say anything, Amamiya-san! I really do appreciate the school-" Ren laughed, waving her off.

"Don't worry about it. And just call me Ren, Amamiya is kind of a mouthful…" They arrived at the school gate.

"Alright! Then just call me Kasumi! See you later, Ren-senpai!" Kasumi turned and walked to class. Ren stood there, having an internal debate over whether or not a girl already calling him senpai was a good thing.

He ignored the same boy that bothered him and Ann crying and running into the school. Again.

He contemplated if his heart being a casino meant he was getting really lucky. A school bell rang, and more students rushed into the building.

_Or not..._

Ren followed the rest of the students hurriedly, knowing lateness could only incur the wrath of the student council. Something told him that 'I was talking to a cute girl' would not excuse him from an _**EXECUTION!**_ Wait, that doesn't sound quite right…

* * *

Ren talked with Ann during lunch. Apparently, Ryuj had to stay at home because of his injuries. Something about 'not pissing off Coach Nishiwaki.'

Apparently, the new track coach was a lot more stringent on team members getting in fights.

Ren took a bite of some regular school bread. Apparently, the good stuff, the Yakisoba, was only around for a little bit on Fridays.

"Why do you think Sakamoto-san doesn't want anyone to find out about the beating?" He asked Ann, after she got off the phone with the other boy. She shrugged.

"Dunno. Guys have weird priorities." Detective time. Ren closed his eyes, taking up the Gendo Ikari thinking pose.

"Do you have reflective glasses? I need to think." A strange look. "Oh come on, you've never seen Evangelion?" Her head shook.

" _Anyway,_ those guys usually don't go that far with him." Ouch. "Never seen him so bruised before." Ann rested her knuckle against her forehead.

"Maybe it's a personal thing..." Ren knocked his head back, sighing. Shiho dropped in and took Ann to buy some stuff from the school shop. He quickly waved to them as they left, and he contemplated his half-eaten bread. Of course, the bland flavor pushed him into his thoughts, given there wasn't enough flavor to focus on.

_I can always ask the guy later, though it probably isn't my business._ Ren saw flashes of _that_ night. _Do I really want to get involved?_ _Those guys might get suspended, and if I'm connected, that might violate the probation…_ Ren was shaken out of his thoughts by one of his classmates. A boy with blue hair and a white shirt. Had eye bags, probably stayed up too late playing Eternal Punishment Online. Life drainer of a game, or so he heard.

"Excuse me, Amamiya-san, could I talk to you for a moment? The rooftop should be unlocked." Ren smirked.

"Isn't it a bit early in the year for confessions? I'm flattered of course, but still." The other boy waved his hands around, clearly flustered.

"NO! I mean, no, it's nothing like that, it's- whatever, I'll explain up there."

"Alright, alright, but keep the letters in your bag." Ren stood up, chuckling. The other boy shook his head, having caught on. It was a quick walk up to the roof. The door slid open easily when the knob was jiggled. Ren took residence on a dry desk, waiting for the bluenet to begin.

"So, the rumor is that you, Takamaki-san, and Suzui-san are all in a polygamous relationship. There's some recent speculation that the gymnast, Yoshizawa-san, is involved as well, since this morning." The boy said, with a completely straight face.

"Wha- It's been three days! Three days! How bored are you people?" Ren nearly yelled, caught _insanely off guard._

"But is it true, Amamiya-san? Or am I missing a critical piece of information? Are other girls involved? Or even guys, if you're into that?"

"How can you say that with a straight face? And _of course_ it's not true, I've been in this city for half a week!"

"Ah. So that disproves the theory that you and Takamaki-san are secretly childhood friends, and that Yoshizawa-san was a star-crossed lover/rival of yours in gymnastics. On the other hand, those could be true separately…"

"NO! None of that! None of that's true! I only just met them! And where do you get off talking about women like that?"

"It's not like that, Amamiya-san, I assure you. I don't deal in rumors, I deal in information." Ren blinked.

"Aren't those… y'know, kinda the same thing?"

"I don't spread rumors, I collect them. And then I sell them to those interested. Would you like to hear the ones about why you and Sakamoto-san left school so late yesterday, in such a state?" Ren's eyes sharpened.

"Is that a threat?"

"Oh no, of course not! I'm just the information broker!" Ren shook his head and started muttering.

"God, and I thought people had nothing better to do back home… Only thing you're missing is a fluffy black jacket and some dark hair dye..." The other boy apparently didn't hear him, had never seen that show, or ignored it, and kept talking.

"And why would I threaten such a great source of profit!" The boy spread his arms and looked into the sky. "Why, the _mysterious_ transfer student who attracts women like moths to a flame, I stand to make a _lot_ of money!" Ren mentally face-palmed.

"People really pay you to gossip for them?"

"Ah, gossip is such a dirty word. I prefer the term 'barter information.'"

"You're delusional." Ren honestly couldn't be bothered to hide his disbelief at the sheer audacity being shown to him.

"Never met him."

"Then, who are you?"

"Wha- I'm in your class! How do you not know?"

"Everyone knew everyone else back home- wait, maybe I shouldn't say that to you…"

"What? Why not?" The boy whined. Seriously, if he was going to deal in something as vile and vitriolic as rumours, he should be more patient.

"Take a guess, Mr. Information-broker. I don't need my personal history floating around the school." Ren nodded off to the side. _Be a shame if you happened to leak my record. Shujin wouldn't have an info-broker anymore._

"I would never do that to a friend!" The boy exclaimed, desperate to prove himself.

"Friend?" Ren raised an eyebrow, surprised by the switch.

"Well, we are business partners now, aren't we?" The boy explained himself, scratching his head.

"I… suppose." The other boy offered a hand, which Ren shook. A voice echoed in his head, and a butterfly flew at the edge of his vision.

_I am thou_

Wait, seriously?

_Thou art I_

Is it supposed to be that easy?

_Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of mortality._

Ren resolved to talk to Igor next time he had a hallucination.

_With the bond of the Moon Arcana, Thou will obtain the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

Their hands dropped back to their sides.

"I really don't know your name though."

"Yuki Mishima. It's nice to meet you."

"Ren Amamiya."

"Well, I knew that of course. But the sentiment remains." Mishima walked to the roof's doorway and froze. "Now that I think about it… You probably don't want those polygamy rumors floating around, do you?"

"Hey, if it makes you money. No one that matters will believe it anyway."

"Thank you. And don't insult my customer base!" Ren laughed and returned to his slightly smushed, lukewarm, half-eaten bread.

* * *

**Omake: Mishima has a weird imagination**

* * *

"Yer a wizard, Amamiya."

* * *

"I'll leak your record if you don't give me Takamaki's phone number. I'm strapped for cash this week."

* * *

"Hey, are you the pilot of Unit-01?"

* * *

"There are rumors about you, Takamaki, Suzui, and Yoshizawa all having a hot foursome in Shinjuku. Oh, and alternatively it was really just some people named Langley, Ayanami, and Ibuki, and then some other girl. Any of that happen to be true?"

* * *

"You're delusional."

"Never met him."

"Then, who are you?"

"Who the hell do you think I am?" Mishima gladly took up a heroic pose. On the edge of the roof. Ren barely kept him from slipping.

* * *

"Okay, so I know you said no letters, butttttt I made a lot of money telling people that I could get theirs to you."

* * *

"Despite what you may think, Ren Amamiya, the Travis Scott meal is not simply a big mac with lettuce."

* * *

"Okay, Ren, so I know the plan was to call a maid to this apartment, and I was thinking actually sell photos of you talking to her to girls who want to know what you're into- Holy shit! Is that Ms. Kawakami in a maid outfit walking down the street? Dude! I'm going to be rich!"

* * *

**AN:**

**Hehe. Having fun with Mishima. Still Mishima, but not eva-canon-Shinji-Ikari Mishima.**

**I'm really starting to have fun writing this. The enjoyment it gives some of y'all is tertiary at this point. I got shivers just reading one page (That's not out yet) and that's not even a percentage as badass as some of the stuff I have planned. Or so it seems in my brain. Damn brain.**

**Is the polygamy joke sexist? I don't think it's- nah, I'm just kidding. I'll stop stealing that joke from Fairly English Story. It's really more of an homage than anything else.**

**I'll admit it, I have not finished Shinji and Warhammer 40k, but to be fair, It's a goddamn monolith of a fic. And I'm really busy when I don't have time off to write this.**

**Going to need reviews after next chapter, I'm feeling a lot more confident with the direction I'm going.** **Oh, and we hit 69 views. Nice.**

**Oh, and another Review!**

**To the dearest NoRoleModelz: I agree with the sentiment, Minato is really not a likable person. But I think that's what makes him compelling. See, the Persona protagonists are always supposed to be your self insert to an extent, right? And you'll see similarities between things Minato does in the story that you did in the game. When you compare yourself to him, it's really interesting, because some people really did do the social links for the arcana bursts only, or gave SEES bad weapons so they could keep the good stuff, or even just do the worst thing possible to other people. You hate Minato, because he's you. He's the dark mirror of the video-game protagonist archetype, the shadow, if you will. He's smug and you hate him for it. And that, I think, is what makes him so interesting, and what makes Minatos an interesting concept. Because we don't know what Minato actually thought about things, but from what SamJaz hinted at in the For Every Soul Penultimate Excuse chapter, he was not the best person. Minatos is the player looking in. You don't know what your character thinks as you play as him, you only observe, and believe you are the one in control.**

**Hoo, that got deep. I like the character, but I hate the person. If that makes sense. Sorry about the third-person perspective thing, I'm not used to first person, as I'm trying to avoid self-insert tropes. Working on that though, but maybe not for this story.**

**And thanks for complimenting the tone, I'm trying to keep the spirit of the original, as it is a torch I have decided existed and wanted to carry. Bit strange with a protagonist that starts off like Shinji Ikari, and not the one that played Warhammer 40k.**


	5. Chapter 5

**April 14** **th** **, 20XX**

* * *

On Thursday, a passing, rather frail looking boy bumped into Ren in the underground mall. He'd read that the flower shop down there was hiring, and teenagers need money, even with allowance. The streaming subscription wasn't going to pay for itself, after all. And no, not for _that_ kind of streaming site, why pay when you can easily find that kind of stuff for- You know what? Never mind.

The thin boy dropped something that looked like painted canvas, about the size of a pack of playing cards. Ren stopped to pick it up, but the boy was already leaving the mall. He hurried to catch up, and reached the taller boy outside the station, near the Teikyuu building.

He didn't notice his phone opening a new app, with a red eye. He barely used the thing anyway, just to make calls.

"Excuse me!" Called Ren. The other boy turned around. The area around them was strangely empty.

"Yes, what is it?"

"You dropped something." Ren held out the canvas box. It's illustration looked familiar, but he couldn't tell from where. The other boy's eyes widened.

"Oh! Thank you, I had no idea I had dropped it." The other boy took the box, and carefully put it into his bag. "That replica is very important to me. It is one of few mementos I have from my sensei." _Bzzt._

"I think I've seen the illustration before, it looks traditional." Ren noted, more talking to himself, trying to jog his memory. The other boy chuckled.

"Yes, my sensei has a great diversity of styles in his art. He's incredibly talented, much more than myself. It's called the Sayuri." _Sayuri, Sayuri, Sayuri…_ Minatos floated behind the boy, lazing about in the air.

"I think His cousin had a friend named something like that." _Don't you have imaginary alcoholism to be getting to?_ "Hey, can't say hello once in a while? Harsh." Ren's eyes widened. The other boy laughed, heartily, dissolving from sight.

"Ah! You remembered! Yes, my sensei is Ichiryusai Madarame, the master painter, creator of the Sayuri, among many other masterpieces." _That's not why I'm surprised- why can that blue-haired bastard read my thoughts?_

The other boy apparently started monologuing about the wonders of this artist Ren never heard of. He turned his attention back to him.

"...And may I ask your name? I am very thankful for your help!"

"I'm Ren Amamiya, and it was really no trouble. What's yours?"

"I am Yusuke Kitagawa, but I am not of much importance. Thank you for your...Urgh!" The other boy fell to his knees, as a sound came from Ren's pocket.

_-Bzzt- Beginning navigation._

* * *

Ren only briefly felt woozy as the world grew red around him. The air was layered in thin, bloody fog. Dark, artery-like vines grew out of the station entrance. The sky was lined with black and red.

"What the hell? First blue, then red, what color is my next hallucination? Yellow?" Ren asked nobody in particular, startled. Maybe less so than he would have been if he hadn't seen this before.

"Hmm" Ren turned to the other boy. He noticed that nobody else was standing on the stained concrete.

"Hey." Ren reached to help Yusuke up. The boy nearly collapsed again, his legs shaking violently. He hoisted the boy up, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. The boy's eyes were closed, a hand massaging his face.

"I was suddenly struck with weakness. Sensei says that this is a sign of the muse! I knew my training was working! Now I can… WHAT!" Yusuke's eyes opened, his happiness quickly turning to something more akin to horror.

"I don't know either. We should look around." Ren turned his head, looking for anyone else. He looked to the train station. Yusuke nodded weakly, his body slumping in Ren's grasp. He was only half as heavy as Ryuji, so- _Wait, only half? How is this kid not anemic?_

"..."

"..." Ren began trudging along to the distorted train station. The ground beneath his feet _rippled_ , like he was walking on a thin layer of water. He kicked up colorful splashes that quickly faded. The escalator steps were immobile, but felt like a weak impression, that would give out any moment.

He went down a level. Despite the lights being off, he could see just as clearly as he could outside. He couldn't even see outside from there because of the fog, so how does that work?

The eerie silence was starting to get to him, as there was nothing besides Yusuke's labored breaths and his own footsteps.

Something began ringing in the distance.

clink.

Not ringing.

Clink.

Ren began to back out of the station.

CLink.

He desperately pulled Yusuke alongside him.

CLInk.  
He struggled up the steps, hoisting the thin boy onto his back.

CLINk.

His breaths began to catch in his throat.

CLINK.

He felt tears begin to gather at the corners of his eyes.

CLINK.

He crossed over the threshold, barely dragging Yusuke behind him. He lay the other boy on the street, away from the entrance. Ren waited with baited breath in the silence. His laboured breathing being the only thing that reached his ears. He stood in a defiant pose, staring into the station.

"..."

"..."

"..."

CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK

Ren's vision was consumed by a storm of chains flying out of the station, curling and twisting around him, obscuring the city skyline from his sight. He crouched into a stance, in front of Yusuke. He ignored the feeling in his stomach. The feeling that told him he was going to die.

The storm of chains suddenly stopped, frozen in midair. The iron began to dissolve, the dust swirling silently. A cloak appeared in midair. The chain dust funneled into the cloak, filling it. Form began to take its place inside the cloth.

 **"CLINK."** The cloth spoke. He jumped. Ren wondered if he should have bought those brown pants in the mall. Eh, they were a pretty ugly color to die in.

"...So, you're going to kill me?"

**"YOU ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO WARRANT MY STRENGTH."**

"...How are you speaking in all-caps? Not important, but that's pretty intimidating."

 **"..."** The being floated idly in midair.

"..."

**"..."**

"...How are you silent in all caps?"

**"..."**

"..."

**"Most mortals often cower at the sight of Death."**

"Oh? I'm actually scared out of my mind right now." Ren smirked. "So, your name is Death? Did you forget your pale horse?"

**"Are you a Fool?"**

"Eh, Igor might say so, but someone else I know might use the term 'Dolt'." Ren noticed the cloth freeze in mid-air. That was either incredibly good or incredibly bad.

 **"You have met Him?"** Ren could hear the capital again. He remembered Minatos saying something similar.

"Minato Arisoto? Can't say I have. Did meet his shadow, though."

**"..."**

"Scared?"

**"DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND. YOU ARE NOT THE UNIVERSE. YOU ARE NOT MINATO ARISOTO. I WILL NOT BOW TO ANY ELSE IN THIS REALM."**

The Reaper in front of him aimed it's pistols. Chains began to slither from behind the cloak's back. A dark aura surrounded the two. Dark shapes rose up behind him, surrounding the unconscious form of Yusuke. Ren's stance tightened, though he kept his smile.

He promised himself, in that moment, that he would never die with fear in his heart.

_Thou hast made me wait quite a while._

Ren clutched his head in his hands, gritting his teeth. His eyes flashed yellow.

_Thou stand against authority now, and once before._

The Reaper lowered his weapons. The dark masses froze behind him.

_Thou hast cowered then, but thy actions now dictate thy truth!_

Ren's skin began to crawl

_Were thine previous actions a mistake?_

" **Hell no."** A wave of indescribable energy passed over this new realm of Tokyo, and beyond.

_Very well… I have heeded thine resolve._

His bones began to quake in their sockets.

_Vow to me, and thou power shall become mine, and mine become thou own._

Images flashed through his vision.

_THINE WHO WILL COMMIT SACRILIGOUS ACTS IN THE NAME OF HUMANITY!_

A man. A car. A woman crying for help.

_CALL UPON MY NAME, AND RELEASE THINE POWER!_

That prison cell. That detective.

_SHOW THE STRENGTH OF THEE TO DETERMINE THINE OWN FATE!_

That room of deep blue.

_THOUGH THOU MAY END IN CHAINS TO HELL ITSELF!_

Minatos.

 **"I accept."** A crimson tailcoat burned into existence on bright blue flame. It formed itself around him without a thought. He wasn't wearing the coat, he was wearing the _being_ that wore it.

 **"I am thou."** Ren spoke, his irises fill with red and blue flame. He stood in alignment with the new being- himself. A long black coat flew behind him, blue flames forming a design in the cloth.

 **"AND THOU ART I."** A second voice joined Ren's, not dissimilar to his own. A pair of tinted goggles formed on his face, but he was seeing _clearer_ than ever. His eyes glowed bright yellow through the tinted mask.

 **"I SHALL FULFILL THIS CONTRACT WITH MINE OWN STRENGTH!"** A drill, laced with velvet flames, formed around Ren's right hand.

 **"I BECOME THEE-"** Ren felt his body sync into his persona...

 **"ARSENE!"** He cried out the name. It's name. _His_ name. And he ripped off the mask.

 **"A challenger."** The Reaper moved, retaking his aimed position. Ren stood still for a moment, his eyes still closed. Slowly, he raised his head, his eyes opening to reveal a brilliant yellow.

 **"Not a challenger."** Ren wagged a finger on his free hand. **"That implies I'm at a disadvantage. Which isn't the case, because I'm going to tear you apart!"** Ren screamed, in the face of Death. Arsene's strength flowed through him, overlapping his words with demonic intent. He felt the dark forms- _shadows_ \- begin to move on him. He clenched his fist inside his drill. It whirred to life, flames dancing along it's spinning edge.

Ren whirled around, swinging his right in an arc. The drill extended from his grip, nearly quadrupling in length, into the shape of the lance. The shadows dissolved on contact, and even then, the ashes burst into indigo flames. There was nothing left of the monsters but scorched ozone. Ren looked over his shoulder at the Reaper.

 **"You're next, you son of a bitch!"** The cloak floated there and seemed to _deny his will._

 **"You will be an interesting opponent in the future."** The Reaper floated back toward the train station.

**"Coward! Death! You take lives without a second thought, and you can't stand against me? I'll kill you myself!"**

**"Fool."** The cloak raised one of it's bolters to it's head. **DAKKA-** Ren was furious, suicide was the coward's way out.

 **"Bastard, you can't even face-"** The cloak rose from the ground. The metallic ichor stopped dripping from the cloak. It seemed to be mocking him, or laughing silently.

**"You can't hope to best me now. I look forward to our games, Trickster."**

Ren's body grew heavy, his drill dropping uselessly to his side.

 **"I'm…** not done with you… you son of a…" His head lulled forward. Ren fell forward, barely catching himself with his drill. The concrete shattered as he collapsed into a pool of shadowy blood and chains.

* * *

**AN:**

**Sorry for the short chapter. Thought it was necessary for pacing and badass timing. A little bit about how Ren's abilities. It might not be clear.**

**You know how Minato got the Universe, and Souji got the demon-morph? Ren's special ability is [REDACTED]. How that works is to determined later, but I have a cool idea.**

**Also had some cool ideas about the concept of shadow nests. I really don't know what that means yet either.**

**I'm not trying to be vague, I'm just making this up as I go along.**

**Oh, also, Ren's phantom thief outfit is different from canon. First person to get the reference gets a cookie.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:**

**Lavenza's theme is Blues in the Velvet Room. Look up an extended track and put it on 0.75x playback speed whenever she's the driving character in a scene.**

* * *

**?**

* * *

"Hey, you…" Ren heard a voice, while he lay on slick concrete. His thoughts swam, and he felt groggy. "You're finally awake…" Ren tried pushing himself up.

"I don't remember any imperial ambush…" He fell back, barely keeping himself upright. He wiped his face with a free hand.

"...?"

"What happened…" Ren opened his eyes, and saw the tinted world around him. His thoughts sharpened, as he remembered what happened. "Ah, still here."

"Master Igor wants to talk to you." He looked toward the boyish voice. _A bobblehead? Cat ears?_

"Weird looking- Wait, you know Igor?" The bobblehead cat nodded, somehow not falling over. It stood on two legs like a human, but it had cat arms and legs. A tail flicked behind it. A strange mask was pulled over his fur.

"Yes. I am his… servant, Morgana."

"Where's Kitagawa-san?"

"That blue-haired guy? He's right behind you. He's pretty tired, and I didn't even see him fight." Ren managed to stand, looking to where he thought he left Yusuke. The boy was lying on the ground, and his breathing could be heard from a few feet away. Somehow, the strange liquid on the ground hadn't soaked into his shirt. "He'll be okay as long as he gets some rest and some food in his stomach. There's an entrance to the Velvet Room just over here." The cat-thing, Morgana, walked over to the side, next to the station entrance.

"You saw the fight?" Ren asked, as he limped over to Morgana. A blue door began to materialize in his vision. It was transparent, but gave off a wispy glow. It was decorated like the door to a casino. The words, ' _The Velvet Room',_ were displayed on top by (bright?) blinking lights. Tacky.

"We'll talk inside, c'mon!" Morgana pushed on the door, which split like a double door. There was nothing inside. Not 'air' nothing, _there was nothing,_ a sheer black void. Ren heard a meek sound, like a dull roar of the ocean. He limped inside, and his vision faded.

* * *

"Some nice champagne. Tastes like crime." Minatos sipped a deep red wine. His voice echoed in the Velvet Room.

"Thanks, I guess." Ren's nausea cleared up as he entered the velvet room. "Hello, Igor, Lavenza." Igor spoke.

"Greetings, Trickster. It seems that you have awoken to your power, and began your journey."

"You mean Arsene, right?"

"As I said, great champagne." Minatos was quickly shushed by Lavenza, who seemed to be listening intently.

"Yes. Arsene is your Persona, your mask."

"I… uh, don't quite get what you're saying at all…" Ren scratched his head, surprised he had the strength to do so. Igor simply chuckled.

"A Persona is the facade that is used to overcome life's hardships. It protects you from harm. Arsene represents your true self. When you tear off the mask you wear in society, your true power is revealed. However, it seems you possess a most interesting power."

"He's like Minato, isn't he?" The blue-haired boy interrupted, while drinking red wine from a glass.

"...You possess the Fool Arcana, and by proxy, the Wildcard." Ren started walking over to the bar.

"Okay, while you guys keep talking in capital letters, I'm going to get a drink. What've you got, Lavenza?" Lavenza laid out a pair of glasses, and turned behind her for the wine shelf.

"I didn't think of you as the type to drink."

"...I have the feeling this is going to take a while." Ren said, as he groaned into the table.

* * *

"Okay, so I can get more of those Personae?" Ren nursed his imaginary alcohol.

"Yes, the ability of the Wildcard is that which grants the ability to wield multiple facades within your heart. Arsene, your initial persona, is the manifestation of your willpower. It truly represents yourself."

"Essentially, you have the ability to change what mask you wear in life, though Arsene will remain your true self."

"I still don't quite get it, but sure. I can make cool demon things appear with my brain."

"Not demons." Minatos shook his head, having turned around to help explain. "Unless you intend on forming a demonic contract."

"Of course. Demons are real too. Why not?" Ren sighed.

* * *

"So you were one person, then two people, then one person?" Ren had a deep blush as asked the barmaid, who was leaning towards him on the bar. Because of the alcohol, not the… whatever.

The dress she was wearing was nice. Her white gloves reached up past her elbows.

"Yes. The interloper was able to split my form before they were driven off."

He could barely see black leggings and tall navy shoes.

"Why were they elementary schoolers?"

That's a really nice apron.

"Basic division, trickster."

Why was he paying so much attention?

"I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to ask a woman for her age." Lavenza giggled.

_That sound is pretty nice._

"Any decent man wouldn't. But if you must know, I am older than you. My sisters were older than their guests. My brother was as well, however much he still acted like a child."

_Hey, this champagne tastes pretty good._

* * *

"Hey, Igor, I almost forgot to ask you, I got two more of those Arcana things from my friends at school."

"Yes, the bonds of the Lovers and the Moon will assist you on your journey."

"And Personae have Arcana, like people."

"Yes. When speaking to people of a certain arcana, you have the ability to change your mask to understand them more thoroughly."

"Huh. Can you give me 'nother Persona?"

"Unfortunately, I can not. You will have to do so of your own accord."

"Aw man…"

* * *

"Minatos."

"Yeah, kid, what's up?" The other boy glanced at him. Ren shook his head

"You look the same age as I do-"

"Shadow's don't age."

"Whatever. What's the deal wi'h that, anyways? If this guy, Minato Arisoto, died years ago, how're you still around? Morgana said shadows reflect people in the real world."

"It's really complicated, but basically, he's not _technically_ dead. He just ain't coming back. He's stuck on the moon for a while. His eternal punishment, I suppose."

"That doesn't explain much. Are you messing with me?" And w _ho the hell is writing this script? Damn powers-that-be._

"Essentially, he was british, then he killed a lot of people, then he blew up the national diet, then the world almost ended, and then he chained a god of death to the moon."

"..."

"..."

"You _are_ messing wi'h me!"

"Believe what you want. And I don't know who's writing this either."

"..."

"..."

"So you going to explain how you can read my thoughts?"  
"Nah, spoilers are lame."

* * *

Gulp.

"And I can go in people's 'eads and make them good?" Ren slurred to Morgana.

"Correct, all you have to do is steal their treasure!" The cat-not-cat jumped around on the bar.

"I still don't get all of this… I just kill the shadows?"

"If you kill the shadow of the palace ruler, they may very well die. The common shadows won't be affected in the real world, as they aren't connected to any specific souls."

"Right… Murder is bad and stuff. What about the red train station?"

"Mementos is everyone's palace. It doesn't have one specific ruler. That's where palace rulers start off, before they become too distorted."

"Right… And there are bad people there too?"

"Yes, you can change their hearts as well, should you come across their shadows."

"Yay, fun new extracurricular." Ren knocked back another glass of wine.

"..." Morgana glared at Lavenza, who simply shrugged.

"..."

"So… you're a dude, right, Morgana?"  
"Yes, that's right!"

"And you're a cat?"

"I'm not a cat!" Said the cat.

"Alright, if it walks like a cat, and it talks like- wait, you have a cat body..."

"I said I'm not-"

"You don't have the vocal cords to be speaking!"

"You're questioning _that_ of all things?"

"Cat! Cat body human voice cat-" Lavenza slapped him with a rag.

"Harisen recovery." Ren shrunk in surprise, then collapsed on the ground.

"What does that mean, woman?!" He cried. Morgana sighed.

"He's drunk… why would you give him that much champagne?" Lavenza blushed, then crossed her arms. She started muttering.

"...Can't blame a girl for having fun…"

Minatos loudly slurped his drink in the corner.

* * *

"Well, later Igor. Is there any magic 'ou can use to sober up?"

"When you entered the Velvet Room, only your consciousness was transported. Your physical being will not have been affected, as only your mind is influenced by your actions in this room.

"Huh. So I'll only _think_ I'm drunk? For a lil' bit?"

"That will be the case, Trickster." _Well, at least I'll pass a breathalyzer._

* * *

Ren's self-prescribed drunkenness cleared up as he stepped back into his own body. Might have just been the metaverse's effects. He noticed the blue-haired boy still laying on the ground.

"Oh, I forgot this was still happening." He walked over to Yusuke and nudged him with his shoe. The other boy's eyes fluttered open.

"What…"

"Psst, Ren, do you want to go back to the real world?" Ren looked over to Morgana who was in not-a-cat cat form.

"Yeah?" Ren was going to ask how, but heard a sound from his pocket.

_-Bzzt-_

" _ending navigation, thank you for your efforts."_

_-bzzt-_

The real world solidified around them. Masses of people passed by Ren and Morgana, who now looked like a normal cat. Totally still not a cat though. People barely glanced at him standing over Yusuke. The boy sat up.

"...Happened?" Ren decided to lie, thinking that the less people that knew about his weird not-demonic powers, the better.

"You just collapsed, man, are you okay?"

"I remember seeing something… Red? And… I could swear I heard chains rattling." Yusuke shook his head, gingerly standing up.

"Ren, look at this guy-" Yusuke's stomach growled loudly. "He needs to eat."

"Is that… A cat? Why do you have a cat with you?"

"He can't understand me, because you _know_ I'm not a cat, but he thinks I am."  
"But you are a cat."

"Why are you talking with that cat?"

"Hm?" Ren turned back to the boy. He grabbed Morgana and dropped him in his school bag. "What cat?"

"Hey! You can't… actually it's very soft in here, you carry this much yarn around?" Ren clasped his bag shut, ignoring the ruffling inside.

"Ha… My mind must be playing tricks on me."

"You don't look too good, Kitagawa-kun. Let's go get some food."

"Ah, you mustn't worry. I have run out of my allowance from sensei…"

"I'll pay." _His master is rich and his allowance runs out in two weeks?_

"Really, I shouldn't eat unnecessarily, the muse is inspired by hunger after all..." Yusuke awkwardly laughed. Ren felt a flicker of anger.

" **Yusuke** , if you don't come with me to this great beef bowl shop which is literally one minute away, I am going to kick your ass into next week!" Ren grew sick of the boy's weak denials, snapping at the boy.

He was unfazed by the threat of violence. He looked down at his shoes. Ren's expression softened, and he pinched his nose. "Listen, Kitagawa-kun, the muse won't do you any good if you pass out from malnourishment."

"Well… Alright. Lead the way, Amamiya-kun."

* * *

Ren and Yusuke sat down at the counter of the noodle shop. Ren ordered a large beef bowl for himself, Teriyaki-style, for himself, and a Mega Beef Bowl (Mind the capitals), with extra, well, everything, for Yusuke. They sat in silence as Yusuke contemplated the enormity of his meal. Ren glared at the boy and lowered his voice.

**"Eat."**

The other boy gulped and began chowing down into his meal. He started off slowly, but began tearing into the bowl as he ate more and more. He barely stopped for breaths.

"The flavour…"

"The mystique…"

"This is the magnificence of the Mega Beef Bowl!" Yusuke declared, as he continuously shoved the noodles into his mouth. Ren simply laughed and ate his own noodles.

Summoning not-demons can take a lot out of you. Literally.

* * *

"So, what's life like for you, Yusuke?" He'd told Ren that the formality was unnecessary, as thanks. _Emperor._

"Well, as you know, I am Yusuke Kitagawa, student of the master artist, Madarame… Anything else is unimportant."

"Do you live with your sensei?" Ren didn't want to ask about the parents, as he hadn't mentioned them, and it might be a personal issue.

"Yes. He took me in after my mother, who was also his student, had passed away."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Do not be. Sensei is a wonderful man. He has done very much for me."

"Is that why you nearly passed out from starvation?" Yusuke froze. Ren sighed. "Yusuke, it might not be my business, but you need to eat more. I'm sure your sensei is a wonderful person, but you need to talk to him about your 'artistic training' affecting your health."

"..."

"Listen, if you really are out of allowance… I'll take you out for ramen again sometime, how does that sound? I'm sure that Mega Beef Bowl can keep you filled up for a while."

"..."

"..."

"Thank you, Amamiya-kun."

"No problem. Here's my chat i.d. Just text when you're free." Yusuke nodded. Ren noticed a small trace of tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

_I am thou_

I'm cool with this.

_Thou art I_

Yusuke's a cool dude.

_Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of mortality._

_I deserve this one._

_With the bond of the Emperor Arcana, Thou will obtain the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

"Hey, Ren! What's that smell? What's this 'Ramen' thing you guys are talking about?"

"Is that… Mewling? Coming from your bag?" Yusuke looked behind Ren at a wiggling school bag.

"No, of course not..." Ren nervously laughed. _I'm sure that bag isn't airtight. Pretty sure. At least a little bit._

Yusuke finished off his meal pretty soon after that. _Suppose he didn't want to get caught with food._

"My muse has returned to me! Farewell!" Ren waved as Yusuke walked off to the subways. Ren turned back to the counter.

"So how much did that bowl cost…"

Too much, apparently. Bland school bread for Mamamiya until he gets a job.

* * *

He managed to get back to the cafe before closing time, starting to feel the soreness from the other world. Hard to believe all that happened today. Oh, and the mental hangover. Maybe the alcohol content depends on a Persona's strength over there.

"Kid, why is your bag wriggling?" Ren had almost made it past Boss when Morgana chose just then to start playing with his yarn stash.

"Ah, well you see, I should start from the beginning. So, this is a story, all about how, my life got flip-" Ren saw the older man's glare. "Okay, I found a cat."

"A cat?"

"Yeah, his name is Morgana."

"...You read it's tag and _still_ brought it home?" Ren started sweating.

"No tag, see boss, I was studying in the park, right, and I was reading a book about myths and legends, and he came out of nowhere and started pawing at the name on the page." Of course, that was complete bullshit.

There's obviously too much pollen to study in the park right now.

Also that would be too convenient to convince the older man. _Hierophant._

But only if he knew about the metaverse, which he _probably_ didn't.

Wait, Hierophant?

Where did that come from? Didn't he think something weird like that earlier while eating with Yusuke?

_God damn it Igor, what did you omit this time?_

"...Whatever. Now that I think about it, taking care of an animal would probably be good for your probation…" The man had pinched his nose while Ren was zoned out.

"Really? So, I can-"

"But keep him upstairs, got it? I don't need the health board up my-" Ren didn't hear that last part of grumbling, as he wisely decided to head upstairs.

"Sir yes sir!" Ren called downstairs, saluting to nothing.

"Don't call me sir, you brat, it makes me feel old!"

* * *

**AN:**

**I've been writing about a page every day but still thinking to myself that I need to work, and then I remember that I just wrote ten pages, and have a chapter ready for the next update. Guess deadlines don't occur to you when you're having fun.**

**The bit in the velvet room was more of a summary than the detailed explanation the game gives you, so if you played the game, you'll be fine. I don't feel like playing the game scene by scene as I write this would be fun or efficient, so there may be inaccuracies due to my own misunderstandings. I really like the velvet room attendants in general. Elizabeth was kind of funky and badass but also really cute and interesting, Margaret had a cool and mature vibe, but probably didn't need a social link, and Lavenza is basically a non-character in the base game, so I'm making it up as I go along. I do have some ideas though.**

**NoRoleModelz, I thought that Persona 5 didn't have enough just-school-friends, which makes sense in the context of the game and Japanese society, but it's not very relaxed or fun, is it? I thought Mishima would be a fun way to integrate that. Also the earlier ranks of other confidants/social links.**

**Yusuke does not know what the metaverse is. He thought he was just hungry. I dunno if he'll be the first party member or not.**

**Oh, also, Morgana doesn't have a persona.**

**On a personal note.**

**I found part of the answer to what I want in life.**

**Hiraeth is a welsh term that roughly translates to ' a longing for something that you have never known'.**

**I think that's one of my deepest emotions right now.**

**I throw myself into other media, games, my writing, whatever, because I'm bored with my normal life. But that's not so bad. I just want to find what I'm looking for.**

**Sorry if this is heavy, I've just come to the revelation. Update's will continue to come, I hope.**

**The writing is mediocre, the jokes are bad sarcasm at best, but hey-**

**It's mine.**

**Have a good weekend, folks.**


	7. Chapter 7

**April 15th, 20XX**

* * *

Friday morning, Ren decided to do some people watching on the way to school.

Weird salaryman on the subways. _Sun._

Lady with too much make-up. _Magician._

Leering guy in a suit. _Hunger._

Huh. Wonder what those words mean.

"Ren, you forgot to put yarn in your bag! These books don't make good bedding!"

And he forgot to leave his talking cat at home.

"Ren-senpai!" Ren tripped over his own feet.

He turned around to see Kasumi running up to him. But like, in the girly way, with the arms out and stuff. Her ponytail was bouncing in the way ponytails often do. Cute. Ren is similar to other boys in the way that pretty girls make it very hard to think.

 _And you know what else gets har-_ Shut up, me, he thought to himself.

"Mrrow!" Morgana was startled by the sudden change. He didn't think anyone heard it, thankfully.

"Good morning, Kasumi-chan." _Faith._ Ren uprighted himself and waited for the girl to catch up. The girl's smile brightened.

They walked the rest of the way side by side. He felt the other students bore holes into his skull with their vision.

_Why should I care what they think?_

He didn't really feel all that close to Kasumi anyway, it's not like they were dating. Well, he and Ann weren't dating, but he had one of those confidant things for her.

Then again, he barely knew Yusuke, but he got one of those for him too.

Why not? Magic words that get him to make friends, sure, those too. Demons, Personas, whatever. _I… probably should have asked Minatos to elaborate._

"What a womanizer…" Said a girl further away, walking in a clique. _You're kidding, right?_

"Seriously, is the model not enough for him?" A boy complained to his friends ahead of him. _These people are idiots!_

"That blonde is such a slut." Ren's wandering gaze intensified. There was a small group of boys near the vending machines.

"Excuse me, Kasumi. I'm suddenly feeling a bit thirsty." Ren said politely, albeit forced, and started walking over to one of the machines. Wait, could Ren do this? What about the probation? Kasumi remained where she was standing. She looked like she was about to reach out for him to stop, but refrained.

"Gentlemen." Ren fished some change out of his pockets, calmly inserting them into the machine. He selected a TaP soda can, not intending on listening to the common tip about the drink. He shook the can in his hand and leaned back against the vending machine. 'Wait, no! Where am I getting the confidence for this?' Thought a suppressed part of Ren. "So, you fellas want to clue me in to your conversation?" He pretended to examine the can, subtly shaking it even more in his grasp. _Magician, Hanged Man, Lovers..._

"Tch. We don't gotta explain shit to you." The boy in front, the blandest looking one, sneered. Sneers aren't very effective for people that you couldn't pick out of a crowd of five.

"Oh, you're absolutely right, but y'know, it's very strange." Ren kept a bored look on his face, pushing up his fake glasses and pretending to think.

"What the hell are you talking about?" The other boy attempted a threatening stance, like a delinquent, but without the effect.

"Well, I just thought that Shujin was a much cleaner school than this." The other boys looked confused. Ren sighed. "Tell me, where do you get off talking about women like that?"

"What the… Oh, that's hilarious! You think that Gaijin bitch deserves respect? Get a clue, dude, she was sleeping with Kamoshida for months! Takamaki's a whore, and everybody knows it!"

"See that's what I was talking about." Ren tossed the can up and down in his hands. "The students here have no clue about keeping the shit from coming out of their mouths." He walked out of the alcove.

"What the-"

"Classes start in maybe, eh, ten minutes. If you really haul ass, you can probably get back here in time." Ren threw the can high in the air behind him, and it glittered in the sunlight. He gestured for Kasumi to get away from the opening.

A massive spray of fizz exploded out of the alcove, covering the street. The spray extended stories into the air. The cries of schoolboys echoed inside the alcove.

They came out seconds later, their uniforms stained and fizzing all over.

They call it TaP for a reason. If it was explosive _before_ you shook it up…

"You son of a bitch!" Ren shook his head and tapped his wrist.

"I hope you have a spare uniform. Explaining why you look like that to the teachers, and then the student council? I wouldn't recommend that." Ren pulled out a coin.

"...!"

"You know, I'm still feeling kind of thirsty." He approached the boys. They sputtered, then turned and ran off. Ren called after them.

"And I better not hear that kind of talk again, you got that?" A crowd of gossiping girls ran past. Their footsteps called him back to reality.

Ren zoned back in. He stared at the coin in his hands. _...How… The hell? Did I manage that?_

"..." Kasumi was looking at him with a weird look.

"..." Ren rubbed his neck.

"Wow." The younger girl was shocked.

"It's nothing-"

"That was so cool!" Kasumi looked star-struck. Back to overly-caffeinated, huh?

"Haha… it's whatever… come on, I don't want to be late; Y'know, like those guys will."

* * *

Shiho came during lunch to grab Ann for a minute. He waved them off and realized the soda-yen was what he was going to use for lunch.

_Thou shalt have our blessing when creating Personae of the Lovers Arcana._

Huh. Guess rumors _do_ move pretty fast around here. Mishima must be doing his job. Especially if everyone thought he was in the right.

His homeroom teacher, the tired-looking Kawakami walked up to him. She crossed her arms.

"The student council president would like to talk to you." The woman said sharply. "...why do I have to run errands…" She muttered to herself.

"Yes, sensei, of course." He stood up, cordially bowing, and walked out the door. Many thoughts rang in his ears, but one took priority.

_I am totally Fucked!_

* * *

Ren carefully slid open the student council room door and stepped inside. Kasumi was looking rather nervous, sitting in one of the chairs.

Ryuji sat against a back corner. Is… Is he seriously eating popcorn? It _is_ lunch period, but…

"Ah, Amamiya-san. I have heard some _most interesting_ information from _many_ other students." The girl- No, she was too intimidating in that moment to simply be a girl- The President stared him down, the corner of her mouth twitching. "Would you like to explain yourself?" The choice Ren had to make was whether or not to cower or to-

_NO!_

There was no choice.

Arsene had made that clear.

"I expected this school to be a lot cleaner, I must say." Oh, the president's eye was twitching now.

"Care to elaborate?"

"I was walking to school, right, and I was feeling a bit thirsty, you see, so I went to a vending machine, and grabbed a soda. I accidentally dropped it as I was leaving, and you know how TaP cans are-" Ryuji leaned forward and whispered something to the president. She nodded. "-and it exploded on a couple other students. I, of course, recommended they change their uniforms before classes."

"You-" The president almost snarled, before calm overtook her face. "I have heard a slightly different version of that story, Amamiya-san."

"Care to elaborate?" Ren asked the president. Kasumi seemed to shrink in her seat.

"The students in question claim they were talking when you came up and threatened them, and then threw the can at them. I also notice that you have arrived on time, with a clean uniform, no less. You say you dropped the can, _accidentally?_ "

"They tell you what they were talking about?" The president blinked.

"Well, no, I didn't pry-"

"Unfortunately, for students of such a _prestigious_ school, they didn't seem to have the cleanest mouths. Would you like to hear what they were saying about our female students?" The president blushed.

"That's unnecessary-"

"Slut. Gaijin Bitch. Whore." Ren leaned forward. "Would you like to hear more about what they said about Takamaki-san?" Ryuji's face went stoic, and he turned away.

"The fact remains, you assaulted-"

"Assaulted? _Assaulted?_ Are you _on_ something? I dropped a fucking soda can because they couldn't keep their mouths shut, and you think that's _Assault?_ -" Ren stopped for a breath. "...I apologize for raising my voice. They haven't suffered any injuries excluding their pride. However, I understand this may have violated school rules, and am willing to withstand punishment." Ren bowed.

"Excuse me, Niijima-senpai!" Kasumi looked panicked.

"Yes, Yoshizawa-san?"

"Ren is a good person, I don't think you need to be so severe-

"You have developed a friendship with him, your input can not-"

"I think she's right, uh, Makoto-senpai." The president turned to her attendant. He pulled himself into- _Huh, I didn't think he'd be into Death Note._ The blond, in his new thinking pose, continued.

"...I got beat pretty bad the other day, and this guy dragged me through the underground to a doctor. From that, it's pretty clear what kind of guy he is."

"Really, Ryuji-kun? Is that why you were absent for the last two days? How interesting."

"Yeah…" Ryuji looked really anxious as he realized what he'd admitted to. "Well, actually, um, what-" The boy withered under the brunette's gaze.

"We'll talk about this later, Ryuji-kun." The president turned back to Ren. "In the face of this _new information,_ I will be letting you off with a warning. Do not make this mistake again, Amamiya-san."

"Thank you, Niijima-san." Ren stepped out of the room, and leaned against the wall. Kasumi came out a few seconds later.

"That was… scary."

"You didn't have to defend me, you know."

'Well, I thought it was the right thing to do… It was pretty cool what you did this morning… Even if it wasn't for me…"

_I am thou_

Yeah, this one makes sense.

_Thou art I_

_I am pretty badass, after all._

_Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of mortality._

Wonder where I got the confidence for it, though, Ren thought to himself.

_With the bond of the Faith Arcana, Thou will obtain the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

The younger girl blushed. Ren, of course, being an idiot, didn't notice, and waved it off. "It's nothing, really. Well, I'm heading to classes. Later, Kasumi."

Millions and millions of men, as well as a non-negligible amount of women, everywhere, felt the sudden urge to face-palm.

* * *

Ren collared Mishima on his way out of classes. Despite having played volleyball, the smaller boy really didn't weigh all that much. They headed to the rooftop. Ren sat in a chair next to a desk. Looked vaguely like an interrogation set-up.

"Thanks for running interference on the rumors."

"You mean the ones about this morning? No problem. I got a few yen out of it." Mishima shook his head.

"How'd you manage to make everyone think I was the good guy?"

"Ah, well you see… That's not the first time those guys have mouthed off like that. Girls sure can hold grudges."

"Ah, so you don't know either."

"Hey!"

"We both know damn well that _you_ know nothing about women."

"Ehhhh, yeah, I can't deny that one."

The other boy leaned back and sighed, before his eyes opened brightly. He turned to the door, and looked over his shoulder at Ren.

"Oh, almost forgot- the rumor-mill says that you went to a noodle shop in Shibuya with a rather pretty boy yesterday."

"...Goddamn it." Ren lulled his head back. The information broker chuckled.

"Hey, just keep at it. The more guys you give hope, the more money I make."

Ren slammed his forehead into the desk.

_Thou shalt have our blessing when creating Personae of the Moon Arcana._

* * *

**April 16th, 20XX**

* * *

"Heyyyy, Senpai…" Ren paused as he was walking to school on Saturday. A nice-looking girl walked up behind him, just ahead of a clique.

"Um, hello?" Ren felt awkward. It was something about the girl's mannerisms, or the way the girls further back were whispering.

"That's so funny! "Hello!" You're sooooooo cool, Senpai."

"Uh, thanks. You too?"

"Aw, that's so cute. Thank you, Senpai."

"Hey, wait, aren't you a second-year? Why are you calling me Senpai?"

"Oh, you know me! Well, since you're suuuuch a nice guy, I thought you deserve to be my Senpai."

"I… really don't."

It looked like something snapped in the girl.

"What do I have to do? Dye my hair some bright color? What do those girls have that I don't?" Ren felt incredibly awkward, standing there, listening to the girl's beginning rant.

"Uh, well- Oh, hey, Mishima-kun!" Ren spotted the blue-haired boy walking past, who was keeping an eye on the situation.

"Good morning, Amamiya-kun, are you in need of information-" Ren held up a finger and started hurriedly whispering.

"Dude, get me out of this situation! Quick!"

"…"

"…"

"Why yes, Amamiya-kun," Mishima suddenly announced, making sure to be heard, "I DO have the notes from last class, please, allow me to escort you to the school so you may receive them in a timely manner."

They quickly walked into the school.

"...So are you going to explain what the deal with that was?"

"I'll be honest, I don't have much of an idea either." Ren shivered.

Neither of them had noticed the girl's incredibly dark expression as they left.

* * *

"YO!" Ren looked up from his phone after school. Ryuji had slammed the door open.

"Yo?" He blinked. Ryuji turned to him.

"Just who I was looking for. Amamiya, we're gonna have a chat."

Ren sighed and got out of his seat. He already talked to the president yesterday. He followed Ryuji to the rooftop. Thank Mishima that there weren't any rumors about how often he went there with boys.

_Ugh, now I sound like a real puff. Not that there'd be anything wrong with-_

"'Sup dude!" Said Ryuji, on the roof.

"Personal space."

The other guy blinked from a few yards away.

"...Sorry, habit."

"Whatever man. You wanna get some ramen tomorrow?"

"Huh? Why?"

"I owe you, man!" Ryuji laughed. "For the doctor. Seriously, thanks."

"Ah, no problem, it's-" Ryuji interrupted him.

"Why do you always act humble when people are trying to thank you?" Ren looked at the other boy, surprised.

"I don't, I'm just not anyone special-"

"Man, get yourself some confidence! That's it, I'm taking you airsoft shooting."

"...Airsoft?"

"Yeah, dude! I know a great shop in Shibuya, and there's a field in Akihabara we can go to." Ren sighed.

"Sure, why not. I'll be there. What's your chat i.d?"

* * *

Ren headed back home to Leblanc early. He decided changing before heading out would be a good plan. He wanted to check out the Mementos thing Morgana kept talking about.

"Hey, kid." An older feminine voice called out to him as he was about to enter the cafe. He froze, and turned to the punk doctor. She was wearing her doctor clothes, but _damn, that's a_ \- 'Jesus christ, shut! Up! ME!' thought Ren.

"Hello, Takemi-san."

"Does your friend intend on paying his medical bills?" Ren froze as the older woman stared him down.

"I… don't suppose you have any dishes I can wash?"

"I run a clinic."

"…"

Ren felt like he was walking into the lion's den as he followed the doctor to the clinic. _Or the cougar's den, if I was into that._

_Which, like any other teenage boy-_

"I'll get straight to the point."

Thank god.

"I need a young boy, about your age to help me with the clinic."

 _Oh_ god.

"However… There are some people that I would rather not hear about it."

_Oh GOD!_

"I need someone to test medicines."

_OH THANK GOD!_

"Performance enhancers, and such."

_NOOOOOOOOO-_

"Why do you look so tense?"

_I'm too young to die!_

"Might have been something I ate. Performance enhancers, you say?"

"Yes, for physical therapy patients."

_OH THANK GOD!_

"...I am a legal doctor. What were you thinking?"

"I just need to test medicines? And that'll deal with my friend's medical bill?"

"Yes. Now that I think about it, that does seem suspicious for me to ask…"

"No, it's fine. As long as it's legal, right?"

"Borderline. I trust you'll keep our activities under wraps?"

_She must be messing with me, there's no way a doctor is this dense!_

"Sure. When do I start." Ren fought to keep all emotion off his face, not just his embarrassment.

"Drink this." The doctor handed him a little cup with foul-smelling liquid in it. Ren took it and stared at it in his hands.

"...If you're not up for it-" Was the last thing Ren heard as he downed the liquid.

* * *

"Hello, Igor. Did you call me here?" Ren faded into the Velvet Room, where, as was probably usual, Lavenza was throwing bottles at Minatos.

"It appears you have come here of your own will."

"Greetings, trickster. Can I get you something to drink?" She hid the bottle she was about to throw behind her back. Ren sighed and shook his head.

"I'm actually at the doctor's right now, it'd be strange for me to wake up drunk."

"That's too bad, your last visit was entertaining…"

"Anyway, any particular reason you're here kid?" Ren turned to Minatos.

"Maybe I just really wanted to be out of that situation…" Ren thought back to the clinic.

"..."

"..."

Minatos burst out laughing.

"You really thought she would do that! That's hilarious!"

"Whatever. I have some questions for you."

"Heh, ask away."

"You said demons are real, right?"

"Yes, they are."

"...Could you elaborate on that?"

"Ugh, fine. I know He wasn't this dense." Minatos sighed. He took a deep drink from his seemingly endless wine glass. "Demons live on a different plane than you do, called the Warp. They form from the belief power of humans. That's why so many demons look like folk creatures or legends and myths. Some Personae possess small amounts of spiral power- I mean, life energy, from actual demons, and the user can channel that energy as a Persona."

"Y'know what, I might be better off learning this as I go along."

"Lame. Come back after you get lost in all the crazy bullshit."

* * *

Ren woke up with his head on a soft pillow. Nausea kept him from opening his eyes. His throat burned with an acidic twinge. He tried to sit up, but his stomach cramped, and he had to lay still.

"...Wha…" He nearly threw up trying to speak.

"Are you some kind of idiot? I didn't even explain what the medicine did."

"Maybe…" Ren pulled an arm up and rested it on his forehead. The doctor sighed.

"Your reaction was because of the smell. I didn't expect it to be that strong." A hand ghosted across Ren's face. _Now that I think about it, this pillow is shaped rather strangely…_

"Sorry, I guess," said Ren. _It's pretty warm…_

"Just come by again later. I'll call when there's new medicine for you to test." _Her voice seems really close too..._

"Yes ma'am." The woman chuckled.

_I am thou_

_Thou art I_

_Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of mortality._

_With the bond of the Death Arcana, Thou will obtain the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

"Good. Now get some rest, and let the medicine settle." She pressed a wet rag on his forehead. He nodded weakly, and fell back to sleep.

* * *

**AN:**

**Very fun. Arsene gave Ren a lot of confidence. Not as much as Minato, because then he'd be in Juvie quickly for harassment, but still a decent amount. He's about the same as Ryuji, but with a higher IQ. But I still like Ryuji, all my homies love Ryuji.**

**Yeah, I'm starting Faith early, what about it? Five ranks during the normal game is lameeee.**

**Sorry for getting heavy last week, I'm just some schmuck on the internet, no reason for me to dump that on y'all.**

**I'm sorry the writing quality has been so shit, I'm getting into the groove, now, with the writing. Apparently, I should actually edit my work. Who knew?**

**Just kidding, I just haven't had the time before.  
**

**Thanks for reading, reviews would be nice, but do whatever you want.**

**I really want to write a story in the FESiverse in the same vain as Minato's Long Date by tunaro, but that would spoil literally half the damn story, so I can't yet. Lame.**

**I think the bit with Takemi is the funniest thing I've written so far.**

**Later.**


	8. Chapter 8

**April 17th, 20XX**

* * *

Sunday. Instead of relaxing, he had to go out and shoot people with the student council delinquent. Huh. Interesting way to put it. So, noodles and guns, why not. Morgana wasn't around when he woke up, so he probably wasn't into it.

He waited around the station exit in Shibuya. Some old guy was giving a speech on top of a soapbox. The man started waving his hands into the small crowd.

"...And it is the people of this country that matter! Not the politicians, not the companies, it is the people like you-"

"Shut up, No-Good-Tora!" Hollered a passerby. As the old man started sputtering, Ren noticed a flash of neon approaching through the crowd.

"Hey, Sakamoto-kun. Mornin'."

"Wassup. So, you been to the new Aiya shop?" They started walking over to central street.

"The noodle place? Yeah, I went there a couple days ago."

"It's pretty good, right? Replaced another noodle shop, kinda funny, right?" Ruji laughed

"That Mega Beef Bowl is pretty mega," said Ren.

"Ha! Got that right!" They quickly took a seat at the counter. Ren decided to save Boss the money on curry ingredients and held his appetite for the meal.

"How're you adjusting to Shujin?" Ryuji took a swig of soda.

"It's going pretty good, not terrible. Better than I expected." Ren took a bite out of the mountain of meat.

"That's good. Bet you're glad your record didn't get out." He nearly choked on his noodles.

"You know?"

"Yeah, I'm still part of the student council, man."

"I… did not think that through." Ryuji snorted.

"Not like it matters. You're cool in my book."

They quickly ate their noodles, not from any sense of awkwardness, but because they were _that_ good.

"So where's this airsoft shop?"

"It's this place down central street, called Untouchable. I'm a regular, but the guy is kinda a hardass."

Ren politely denied the totally-not-scam-artist they passed on their way into the alley.

There was a strange poster on the window to the shop. It was untranslated english text, with the number '40' next to it. Huh.

"Hey, Ryuji. What's that?" Ren pointed at the dark poster.

"Oh, that? I dunno. I think it's a western game. He sells models for it too."

"I thought you were a regular?"

Ryuji rubbed his neck.

"Well, i've been there- Oh crap! He's looking at us!" A gruff man inside glared at them through the poster. Ryuji jumped away from the window.

_Eh, that guy is pretty scary looking. Won't judge._

Ren opened the door. He stood in the doorway for a few seconds. The man behind the counter kept up the glare, then shook his head.

"Yo. Your friend going to come in?" Ryuji awkwardly walked in behind Ren.

"Aha… ha…"

"..."

"..."

"..."

_God, this is awkward._

"You going to buy anything or keep blockin' the doorway?"

"Yeah, sorry. This is an airsoft shop, right?"

"Well, we got that; uniform models and custom weapons." Ren raised an eyebrow.

"Weapons?"

"No real crap. Why are you two high school brats in here?"

"We're, uh…" Ryuji, as it turns out, was not being very helpful.

"Enthusiasts. Really into airsoft, cosplay, that stuff."

"Really?" The gruff man bit back his lollipop. "I know someone your age like that. Guessing you saw the poster?"

"Yeah, what's the english mean?"

"It's a western game, really blew up in Japan a few years ago, for the people that could read the manual. Never translated the thing." The man seemed a bit too ready to talk about it.

"Seriously? What's it called?"

"Warhammer 40k." The foreign words sounded strange in Ren's ears.

"Huh." The shopkeep suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be cool and badass (Even if doing it intentionally docks you a few points) and dropped his eyes back to a magazine.

"So, are you going to buy anything, or keep on wasting my time?"

Ren bought a cool looking pistol with a curved magazine. Apparently it shot hard foam instead of bullets. _Lame._

Ryuji bought a shotgun.

And so, they were off to Akihabara.

Which was apparently just otaku central, and not the combination of a warzone and a red-light district.

But there were guys open carrying bright pink rifles, so kind of a mixed bag.

Some girls too, though they looked a hell of a lot scarier.

Ren thought he spotted one of the third-years walking past, but she was wearing goggles and camo gear, so it was hard to tell.

Ryuji's cell phone started ringing. They stopped in the street while he took the call.

"Yeah… Hey Ma…" Ryuji sighed. "Yeah, I'll be there soon." He tapped the call off and turned to Ren. "Sorry man, I gotta go help my mom with groceries." _Aw man._

"Don't worry about it, do what you got to."

"Right, thanks, man." He waved as he walked away. Ren called after him.

"Later man, thanks for the ramen!"

Ren looked down at the box in his bag. _Now, to get this around Boss…_

* * *

"No, see, it's an airsoft gun! I know about not pointing it at people and all that stuff!"

"...Huh?"

Ren's anxiety had been building on the way back to the cafe. He blurted out his excuse as soon as he got there.

...Before anyone actually asked.

He only just then noticed the orange-haired girl jump out of her seat and run into the kitchen area.

"...Sorry, should I come back later?"

Boss leaned into the kitchen area and whispered to the girl.

"That would be best."

"Alright." Ren turned to the door.

"Wait," he stopped, because of Boss's call. "I might have to close up early. Here's a key." The man tossed a key to Ren. He nodded.

"Thanks, I'll get this back to you."

"Don't bother. But if I get any calls about you getting drunk in Shinjuku-" Boss had one of his signature glares on. Ren waved him off as he walked out the door.

"You'll throw me out, I know, I know. I'll get out of your hair. Or what's left of it."

* * *

_Oh, I am SO paying for that later._

* * *

Ren walked around Central Street, checking out the nightlife in Shibuya. Though it probably couldn't be called that at 6 PM.

"Psst, Trickster-" Ren looked around, wondering where the voice was coming from.

"Over here." Ren looked over to- That storefront was _not_ vacant this afternoon! But sure enough, Lavenza was leaning out the door of a tackily decorated bar front. Putting the 'room' in 'Velvet Room,' apparently. Ren quickly walked over.

"How is this here? This is the real world!" He hurriedly whispered, keeping an eye out for any other students. He wasn't wearing his uniform, but Mishima getting a hold of information like this, of him talking to an… unnaturally, hot girl outside of what looked like a bar? To quote Boss, hoo boy.

"Please, come inside." She moved back inside, which Ren could clearly see. Nothing like the way it acted in Mementos, no soul-crushing black void, just a dimmed interior.

He walked in and closed the door behind him.

"I thought this was a cognitive space? I feel pretty awake right now, and I'm sure this is a place in the real world."

"You are awake, Trickster, and you are physically here, but you are simultaneously not."

"Schroedinger's cat." Ren nodded like he knew what he was talking about.

"Precisely, though he simply takes the form of a cat. This room exists between mind and matter, partially in both. To those who have not signed a contract, they simply do not notice an irregularity with the room. To some, it exists, and to others, it does not."

"That's… huh." Ren noticed cat-cat Morgana lazing about on one of the betting machines. "Is that why Morgana's a normal cat right now?"

_Ouch, those are sharp claws. How did he jump so fast?_

"Get off the Trickster's head, Morgana."

"He deserves it. For the last time, I! Am! Not! A! Cat!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, now get off!" Ren pulled the cat out of his hair desperately, but Morgana held strong, in spite of not having opposable thumbs.

"MROWWW!"

"Ack! Anyway, Igor, was there anything specific you wanted to tell me?"

"I simply wished to alert you to our ability to assist you, Trickster."

"Huh. Well, thanks. Boss doesn't want me to get drunk tonight, so I don't think I'll take any chances with your alcohol."

"If that is the case, may I make a request?" Ren turned to Lavenza.

"Sure."

"I would like you to escort me to a location within the city. No Velvet™ alcohol involved."

"...You trademarked the champagne?"

"It was popular enough."

_With two people?_

"...Why not. Anyway, where do you want to go?"

"From what Minatos tells me, there is a very interesting location within Tokyo."

_You listened to Minatos?_

"Apparently, it has the power of multiple galaxies in its kitchens, and it quickly serves that to its guests. I was very intrigued, as he tells me that humans actually _consume_ this cosmic energy. I would like to know how this is achieved." Lavenza had a determined look on her face.

...

"You want me to take you to Big Bang Burger?"

* * *

And then, Ren was walking next to a barmaid, on his way down central street.

She constantly waved her head around, trying to get a good look at the city. She looked way too much like a tourist.

The strange blue attire and light complexion probably didn't help that either.

Not that it detracted from the experience, because, _hoooooo boy, that's a damn fine-_ 'Shut it, me. She's probably not human.'

The buzz of the city kept most attention away from them anyway.

"Hey, Lavenza, just thought of something."

"Yes, what is it?"

"How old are you, like, actually?

"About your own age, Trickster. Attendants must do their best to care for the guests of the Velvet Room. I suppose that is why I am."

"Were you ever born?"

"At some point, I must've been, but I do not recall the event's occurrence."

"Yeah, it's not like humans remember their birth either."

"Really? How strange."

"Well, we remember being children. Were you ever a child?"

"I… cannot recall. The closest I have been to that stage was my form as Caroline and Justine."

"Don't beat yourself up about it."

"Hm? What does that mean?"

"Well, humans forget stuff all the time. Heh, I forgot my umbrella yesterday. It's not the end of the world. We don't know everything, and that's not too bad, is it?"

"I suppose you are correct, Trickster, thank you."

"No problem. Is this the place you wanted me to take you?" Ren stopped in front of a restaurant with a big, space-themed sign and advertisements.

"I believe so. How interesting, the use of bright color and cosmic imagery to evoke a curiosity in the viewer, intending to attract the masses into its interior."

"Yeah, something like that. Let's go inside."

"We may enter? Oh, but it would be improper of me to enter such an establishment in such casual clothes. Higher beings would surely appreciate a more formal dressing manner, would they not?" Ren sighed.

"It's fine, I'm sure they don't mind."

* * *

In the depths of a faraway sea, a gigantic door covered something best left unseen. It rumbled, scattering earth across the sea floor, burying the sunken city once again.

* * *

"One… consumes this? And it is called a burger, Trickster?"

"Yes." Ren managed to scrape the money for two challenge burgers together. Luckily, they had a promotion at night, so it wasn't too damaging for his wallet.

"How interesting." Lavenza picked the rather comically sized burger and pressed it to her mouth. Ren stared at her, as she didn't move for several seconds. A half-minute later, he noticed her face starting to take on a bluish tinge. He jumped out of his seat, and rushed next to her.

"Hey! You don't _drink_ it, you idiot!" Ren pulled her hands down and shoved the straw of his drink in her mouth. She took several gulps, not pausing for air, until he heard only the air in the cup.

"You don't drink burgers, Lavenza. I thought you were going to pass out for a second." Ren face-palmed as she drank the entirety of her quickly-grabbed cup in seconds.

"...I apologize for worrying you, Trickster. It appears that I have not regained all of my strength. I had thought that liquid consumption would be the most effective method."

"Now that I think about it, you don't have anything but drinks in the Velvet Room, do you?"

"As of now, that is true. I still eat, but I will request that Igor provide some other refreshments to the residents."

"You do that. And consider adding Jack and Coke to the menu. Y'know, without Jack."

"I didn't think you would be knowledgeable about mixing drinks."

"I wouldn't either. Do you want to take that burger to go…" Ren realized that the attendant had eaten the rest of the burger while he was talking.

In about ten seconds.

He lazed back in his seat, and contemplated his untouched burger.

"Nevermind. Y'know, Boss probably won't know if I get home _too_ late."

"Your warden, correct?"

"Eh, warden might not be the right word. Guardian is more like it. I only see him an hour every day. Not much of a parent either. Though, that girl could have been his daughter…"

"He sounds like a marvelous man."

"I'm sure he is, but he's a little rough around the edges. Not a bad guy though."

"I suppose you are similar in that regard."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Lavenza just giggled.

"Do not concern yourself with it. Thank you for showing me this place."

"No problem."

Ren sighed and looked back at his burger. He motioned for a to-go bag from a server.

"So, is there anywhere else you want to go?"

"Not as of now, but I may later. Will you accompany me then?"

"Sure."

_I am thou_

_Really?_

_Thou art I_

_I don't mind, I guess. But it's not a date thing._

_Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of mortality._

_Not a dating thing. Totally._

_With the bond of the Strength Arcana, Thou will obtain the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

_Strength, huh?_ _So that's why Minatos wasn't in the room earlier._

_Probably got punted to the moon by Lavenza._


	9. Chapter 9

**April 18th, 20XX**

* * *

"It wasn't me, Amamiya-kun, I swear!"

"Huh?" Ren was confused by Mishima's exclamation after school on Monday. Had something happened over the weekend? He slept in that morning and almost didn't make it to school on time.

"I didn't post the video, I had nothing to do with it!" He looked anxious.

"What are you talking about?"

"The- Haven't you seen it?"

"I don't know, seen what?"

Mishima quickly pulled out his phone, and tapped frantically at the screen. He carefully held it out to Ren. A video started playing, with a strange caption.

GAIJIN BITCH CHOKES ON A BURGER.

Ren probably would have laughed at the absurd title, if it wasn't him and Lavenza in the video.

"What the hell?"

The video continued, from outside the window of a Big Bang Burger, looking in on Ren stopping the attendant from choking.

"Who the hell would record this?"

"The account is anonymous. They just post whatever is relevant to Shujin. I get information from there sometimes. Someone could have sent it in."

"Anonymously."

"Yep."

_Sigh._

"Damn. School won't do anything about it either, they _can't._ "

"I'll try to stem the flow, but look at the comments."

Mishima scrolled down the page, showing dozens of comments.

" _Why is that idiot hanging out with Amamiya?"_

" _Bet she's a whore, just like Takamaki."_

" _Just look at her! She's definitely foreign."_

Ren closed his eyes and slowly exhaled.

"...So, who's she?"

"I swear to god-"

"I'm joking, I'm joking! Sorry."

"Whatever. I'm going to get some fresh air." Ren felt sick. "Something's wrong with this place."

* * *

There was a girl with fluffy, light auburn hair on the rooftop, tending to some stems in a planter box. She didn't seem to notice him opening the door. He looked away, walked next to the rail, and took a deep breath.

_This is getting out of hand._

Lavenza's existence was now out in the open, and he would surely be getting questions about that from his friends. Would that be the end of it? People just thinking he was dating some strange woman?

Would the rumors go further? Would his activities in the Velvet Room, or the Metaverse be discovered?

_Am I overthinking this?_

Ren's breathing quickened...

"Excuse me, are you alright?"

Ren glanced at the brown-haired girl. He forced a smile.

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

"..."

"..."  
"You look stressed. Would you like some coffee?"

"Coffee?"

"I have some spare cups. It's a nice foreign blend, relaxing like tea, but energizing."

* * *

So Ren was drinking luke-warm coffee out of a gardening cup on the rooftop. It was cleaned beforehand, obviously. The girl was sitting upright on a desk, drinking from the thermos.

"This _is_ good. Tastes like a Guatemalan SHB variety."

"Yes, it is!"

"Heh, Boss talks about it whenever he's making coffee."

"Oh, you work in a cafe?"

"Live in the attic of one."

"How exciting."

"..."

"..."

"Aren't you going to ask if I'm "That transfer student, Mamamiya?""

"Oh, I didn't wish to pry!" Ren laughed.

"Don't apologize, it was pretentious of me to ask."

"I'm sorry…"

"Seriously, don't worry about it. Thanks for the coffee. Did you brew it yourself?"

"Hm? Oh no, I'm afraid that my father prefers me to stay away from the kitchens..." She had a disappointed look on her face.

"I was just thinking, it doesn't taste like a store-bought brand." Her smile brightened.

"It isn't! I purchased some from a nice cafe early this morning."

"Really? Where? I might stop by."

"You might not find it, it's very small. But you might have heard of it..."

"What's it called?"

"Cafe LeBlanc."

The girl was concerned, to say the least, when Ren collapsed in a fit of mad laughter.

* * *

He got back to class in time for class.

He also got a lot of weird looks.

Jealous ones from guys, and…

Girls are weird.

That's a lot of yellow…

Maybe the student council should hear about how many female students had suddenly bleached their hair over the weekend.

_I mean, really sudden._

_I think some of them had brown hair this morning._

Wonder what the deal with that is.

Must be a new fashion trend.

_Dumbass._

* * *

Ren decided to work out his frustrations that afternoon.

In the metaverse.

Get your mind out of the gutter.

He was on his way to the overpass in Shibuya, and passed that same geezer on a soapbox.

"Look at these mental shutdown cases! Our society needs strong leaders, of the people, and for the-"

"Shut up, No-good-tora!" Heckled a passerby.

Ren suppressed a chuckle, seeing the old man sputter, as he continued on his way.

He leaned against a dumpster in an alleyway, listening to Morganna prattle on about combat basics.

"Use your Persona when physical attacks are ineffective, your SP is limited, so-"

"What's SP?"

"You know, Spirit Points."

"This isn't a video game."

"Well, that's what they're called."

"That's stupid. Why can't I call it mana, or spiral-"

"Because it's not and you can't, so suck it up, and let's go."

"Alright, fine, I was planning on it." Ren tugged his cell phone out of his pocket.

Soon enough, the world bled into the cognitive realm, and Ren's fluttering coat and drill returned. Luckily, there were no whispers of chains traveling in the stale wind.

"Good, now go down the escalator."

"How do you know what escalators are?"

"I dunno. Probably because I'm so awesome." _Magician through and through, then._

"Whatever. Let's go."

Ren looked deep into the train tunnel. He could barely make out the opposite wall, which was hundreds of meters away.

"...How the hell am I supposed to get around here?

"I'm glad you asked. Ahem!" Morgana bobbled away from Ren and made a star with his body.

"...Mooooorgana," He waved his arms around, "Transform!" Ren jumped back.

"What the hell! You're a bus!" The black cat-bus rumbled around.

"I kid you not, Ren, I turned myself into a bus! Funniest-"

"How?" He yelled.

"The public apparently thinks about cats turning into buses often; does it matter?"

"...Of course, the monsters turn into references too, why not…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Let's go." Ren climbed in the back seat. Wonder how having a side door that was made of your body being opened felt.

"..."

"..."

"I need someone to drive me, you know."

"Right, right."

* * *

To quote a great man who's name rhymes with "Tatsuya"-

VRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"Ah! Watch out! Don't you know how to drive?"

"Yeah, the faster I go, the better my score is, right?"

"This isn't a video game!"

"Spirit Points."

"Shut up- Oh, there's a shad- OW!" Ren almost slammed his head into the steering wheel. The cat-van flew through the air after the huge bump in the road. He lightly kicked the door open and got out, while rubbing his forehead.

Two pumpkins with lanterns and cloaks floated in the subway tunnel. They had crooked grins carved into their faces.

"Hee!"

"Ho!"

"Hee!'"

"Ho!"

Ren and now bobblehead-Morgana watched the two shadows, as they continued to yell without attacking.

"...Should I attack?" Ren gestured to the floating pumpkins with his drill.

"I don't know. I've never seen shadows act like this before."

"..."

"Hee!"

"..."

"Ho!"

"You know, this place isn't as action-packed as you said."

"Be quiet. You can learn a lot by observing shadows."

One of the Hee-ho'ers approached Ren. It didn't seem intent on attacking.

"Me Jack O'lantern! Boss Jack sent us to talk with you!"

"Sure?" He glanced sidelong at Morgana, who _somehow_ shrugged. "What's the deal?"

"Boss Jack says you friends with da Shadow of da Universe, and dat makes you a friend of da Jakkai!"

"The who?"

"Y'know, da Jacks! Frosts, O'lanterns, Knifes-"

Now, Ren had no idea what those names meant, but it would probably be better to go along with it.

"Sure. Wait, Jack Frost? Like the mascot?"

"Yee-ho!"

"...Okay."

"See, youz get it! Dat reminds me, da Boss Jack told me to go with you!"

_Whoever that is, they're probably important-_

The shadow melted into a shining blue light and slammed itself into Ren's face.

"Ah!" Ren tripped backward.

He felt his mask become… stronger, somehow.

The other Jack threw a bead at him and floated away.

"Wait! What do you mean, 'Boss Jack'?"

It faded away into the distance. Ren flicked the lights on his goggles on and off a few times. They shined brighter than before.

"...Is this that Wild Card thing that Igor was talking about?"

"Seems like it." Morganna transformed back into a car. "Daylight's burning. Let's get going."

* * *

Ren rammed the car into another shadow and watched it melt into ooze as he exited the bus. It took the form of a small, flying redhead woman in a blue leotard. Glittery dust fell around her as she flitted around in front of him. Ren glanced at Morgana

"Okay, so how should I start?"

"Well, obviously, you have to take me to dinner first, don't you have any manners?" The Pixie giggled.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Are you a shadow or are you like this guy?" Ren pulled off his mask, and Jack O'lantern hovered behind him, waving at the girl in the leotard. Well, close enough to waving, with a lantern in his only hand.

"Hm, no."

_That doesn't answer my question._

"Okay… I need to get stronger, so if you're a demon, you'll be fine, right?"

"Demon? Why would I- Oh! I remember now! I'm not a demon! I'm from the sea of souls, just like you! I'm Pixie! And I'm coming with you!"

"Hey, wait!"

She melted into blue light, ignored Ren's attempts to prepare himself, and slammed him onto his back.

That sounded a lot more suggestive than it should have.

"Dammit, I'm not going to kill anything around here, at this rate!"

"Then maybe you should have used the gun. Now get up, you need training."

They did actually manage to get some training done. Jack O'lantern and Pixie would tell him the weaknesses of any shadows that looked like them, and he made quick work of the shadows.

Apparently, his model gun- Er, bolter- worked like an _actual_ gun in the Metaverse. It didn't do as much damage as you'd expect, but it was better than nothing. Still fairly tiring, though, so they resolved to head back after getting a few floors down.

It wasn't the safest journey, however.

Because chains started rattling.

"Damn it. I'm tired out, and I don't think I can go as far this time. Morgana, how quickly can we make it to the stairs?" Ren barely spotted a station at the far end of his vision.

"A couple of minutes, even as a straight shot."

"Not fast enough. Can you keep your engine running without me in here?"

"Sure, but I won't be able to turn. What do you have planned?"

Ren hooked himself on the window and pulled himself onto the roof. He pressed a trigger on his drill, causing it to whir and dance with blue flame. He pulled his mask off, summoning Arsene in front of him, between him and the quietly approaching Reaper.

"I sure hope this works like it did for Simon!" He stabbed the drill into the persona.

Suddenly, his vision shifted forward, from Arsene's perspective.

"Ren! Where'd you go? Did you fall off?" Morgana shuddered to a stop. Ren tried to speak, but his voice wasn't his own.

Arsene spoke.

"I'm fine, Morgana, keep going! I'll catch up!" The voice was layered with demonic power.

"What? I can't do that, Lavenza would kill me if I left you behind!"

"Shut up and drive, dammit!"

Morgana hesitantly kept moving towards the station, as the Reaper raised his twin bolters.

" **I SAID DRIVE!"**

The bus sped up, Arsene still latched onto its hood.

"Reaper! Death! Whatever the hell you're called! I'm gonna kick your ass!"

" **You presume yourself to be more powerful than I. Pathetic. And I had believed this would be a challenge."**

"Ren, you can't fight the Reaper, it's a death sentence!"

"I've done it before, I'll do it again! **Persona!** " Arsene's form solidified, it's red long coat replaced with black, and it's flames turning a velvet blue.

" **Morgana, get to the stairs and wait for me. You don't have a persona, so wait there."**

"What about you?"

" **Just do it! I'm not taking you with me when I go down!"**

"I can't- Look out!"

Arsene dodged over the bullet, somehow.

Oh, right, he has wings.

A crack echoed from the wall where it struck, piercing the concrete, forming a large crack on the wall. Arsene smirked.

" **I got this."**

They reached the station, with the Reaper right behind them, barely avoiding a few more volleys that struck the same wall. The crack grew larger and larger.

Morgana transformed, just in time for Arsene to grab him with a clawed hand and chuck him onto an escalator.

"Hey, wait!"

" **Eiha!"**

The cursed flame struck the damaged wall, causing it to decay, melting into dust and gravel.

" **What a pathetic attempt. Are you attempting to create more runway? You can't run forever, Fool."**

" **I don't need to run. Eiha!"**

Arsene's fire struck the corners of the station, causing the two walls to melt as well. He flew back just in time to avoid the massive ton of concrete that collapsed onto the Reaper.

"..."

"..."

Arsene melted off of Ren, reforming into his mask. He dropped to the ground in a crouch.

The two stared at the massive pile of rubble. Morgana looked puzzled.

"Did we kill it?"

"Who is _we_?"

" **It's foolish to assume I can be defeated so easily."** The voice echoed from the walls of Mementos. Ren flinched, his hand flying to his mask. " **But I do prefer to play on even ground. I concede for now."** The voice slowly faded.. The menacing aura of the station disappeared. Ren heard something like a whisper in the stale wind. " **...I was defeated by a similar trick long ago. I look forward to our next match…"**

"..."

"..."

"Screw this, I'm going home."

"Yeah, I could use a nap, maybe some milk."

"I didn't buy any for LeBlanc. Go ask Lavenza."

"But she spikes it with alcohol!"

"..."

"I'm serious!"

"..."

"..."

"...Fine, I'll buy you some on the way back. Made some money off the shadows." Ren shuddered. "Let's just get out of here."

Ren almost didn't notice the echoing spooky voices.

_I am thou_

_Thou art I_

_Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of mortality._

_With the bond of the Magician Arcana, Thou will obtain the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

_Oh, son of a-_

* * *

**April 19th, 20XX**

* * *

"...The video title was a bit harsh. And who was that girl, anyway?"

"Some foreigner, probably."

"He's clearly into that kinda thing."

"I know! I even bleached my hair, and he hasn't even looked at me!"

"Maybe he likes the body type…"

"You think? I asked that girl what her routine was, but she didn't answer, said she didn't have one!"

"What a liar."

"I know, right?"

Ren felt like bashing his own skull in on a vending machine.

Well, it's only Tuesday morning, might take a bit longer for the rumors to die down.

"Yo, Ren." Of course, Ryuji ignored the gossiping girls and stepped into line next to him.

"What's up?"

"Nothing much, 'bout the same."

"Yeah. Hey, have you noticed anything weird going on lately?"

Ryuji scratched his chin, before replying. "Well, Prez was complaining about dyed hair yesterday afternoon, but I dunno what the deal with that is."

_You wouldn't, would you?_

* * *

"Ren, who's this?"

Ann shoved a screen in his face, while she put a fist on her hip. Hopefully, the latter wouldn't end up in his face.

...And sure enough, it was the video.

_God dammit._

"Friend of mine." Ren prayed that he would make it out of this day alive.

"Mhm. You do know what everyone is saying, right?"

"Some of it. Rest assured, I do not have a thing for foreigners."

"Aw, you don't?" Ann looked crestfallen.

"No! Well, yes, no, I mean, uh-" He was interrupted by her laughing.

"I'm just kidding! I haven't cared what people thought about me for years."

"Right. Ha ha ha…" He was relieved by his death no longer being imminent.

"But seriously, are you two dating, because I gotta know where she got that hair clip!"

"..."

"What?"

"Of course that's your priority…" Ren sat stock still as Shiho approached.

"Aw, but don't you think you'd look great with it?" Ann asked her, showing her the phone. Shiho looked like she was fighting off a blush.

"That's not important, Ann…" She turned to Ren.

"So, what's this I hear about your thing for blondes?"

"I just said I don't have a thing for blondes!" Ren noticed the suddenly silent classroom. He looked around, and spotted multiple boxes of black and brown hair dye being passed around and between bags.

"Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me!"

* * *

Ren ate lunch with the info-broker.

"I gotta say, I'm glad I stocked up on hair dye since this weekend. I'm making a killing right now!" He flicked through a large pile of Yen, as another female customer walked away.

"Damn you, Yuki Mishima, and your genius business strategies." Ren raised a woeful fist to the sky.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

_Nothing that won't boost your ego, that is._

"I still can't believe how crazy everyone is going because of you. Like, Shujin's been messed up for a while, but the show's getting really good now."

"Well, believe it, because I'm the one who has to deal with it."

"That's what I'm betting on. Say, do you think I should stock up on red hair dye?"

"Why's that?"

"Because that first year is coming this way, and we're in the middle of a very visible courtyard."

"And people might get ideas."

"Yep. Which is exactly why I'm going to go buy out the entirety of the closest pharmacy's dye stock before lunch is over. Later." The boy hopped up and nearly ran towards the school's entrance. Ren just stared after him, and tried to wrap his head around the student population's state of absurdity.

"It's not true, Ren-senpai, is it?" He turned to Kasumi, and remembered he was still in that situation, and mentally cursed to himself.

"I'm not dating anyone. She just works for a friend of mine."

"You take your friends to love hotels?" The girl looked hurt.

_Wait, what?_

Ren took a moment to register the question, before terror rendered on his face.

"NO! He-e-e-ll no!" He jumped off the bench, tumbling backwards.

Onto the bare concrete.

* * *

Ren woke up in the nurse's office, with a bandage wrapped around the back of his head, and with Kasumi staring down at him. He felt sluggish, and still half-asleep.

"...Ouch." He barely slurred out the words.

He couldn't see Kasumi's blurred face.

"I'm sorry…"

"...Don't…"

He slowly realized that while his torso felt like it was on a bed, his head was not. And so realized why she was looking down at him.

_Soft…_

"I was really worried about you. After you fell, there was blood, and-" She choked.

"It's… fine…" Hell, he'd be happy to fall again.

"I told the teachers, and I thought you wouldn't wake up, so I moved you-"

"And I… woke up…"

"Mhm..." She sounded like she was about to cry.

"Don't worry… Be happy… Eat Russia sushi…" Ren's brain felt scrambled.

_Hey, Pixie, can you hit me with a Dia?_

_No can do, boss, you're still wearing a mask._

_But I'm in the real- Oh. Do I really have to?_

_Yee-ho!_

_You gotta take it off, boss._

_...Fine._

Ren's vision cleared slightly, and Kasumi's vague outline sharpened. Only now did he appreciate the form of-

_Hey, don't get too comfortable._

He tried to push himself up, but Kasumi pushed him back down.

"Please don't get up, you're injured."

"Stop mothering me. I need to go to class." He pushed her hand as he tried to sit up again. She wrapped an arm around his chest, trying to pull him back.

"Please! If you're hurt, you could collapse, and if that happened-"

"I don't care! If I don't go, the teachers will think I really am a delinquent!" Ren didn't care about the girl's gasp. "That's right, I'm a criminal, and I'm only in the shithole because I'm on probation. Bet you're not interested anymore, huh?" He ignored the stinging effect his words had on the girl. He walked toward the door

"That's not true- Please, stay!"

"NO! Dammit, listen to me, I get you're an honor student, but I'm not!" He whipped around and scolded her, as he felt the skin and bone on the back of his head begin to mend. His usual self hated him for it, but he knew he couldn't hold up the facade right now. "We're completely different, so stop bringing yourself down to my level!" He tried to leave again.

The girl stood up, trying to pull him back with both of her arms.

"Ren! Please!"

He turned around and shoved her off him. She fell on the medical cot. He pressed his hands on her cheeks, and kneeled close to her face, with utter rage on his face.

"Listen to me! We are not the same. You have all the chances in the world, and I'm a damned criminal that no one cares about. Get that into your pretty little head!"

She looked like she really was about to cry, but had a steely determination in her eyes.

"No. I won't let someone get hurt again."

"I'm less than someone, you idiot! Nobody cares about me, and they shouldn't! Why do you think I hate all this rumor shit so much? Because it's completely wrong!"

"Is it? Do you really think you don't deserve anything?"

"Yes! I'm worthless, and you're the only person that can't tell." She lifted her face, knocking her forehead against his.

"You're lying to yourself. Takamaki, Suzui, Mishima, I know they-"

He pressed her head down into the cot with his forehead.

"Shut. Up."

"Make me."

Their gazes locked as Ren's fury grew colder and colder. The determination in her eyes only grew in response.

He pulled himself off the cot, shrugging his anger off for the time being.

"Whatever. I have class."

"No, you don't. The teachers said you're excused, because of your injuries."

Ren's anger returned like a tsunami, crashing over him.

"And you… didn't… lead with that?"

"You need to stay here, even if you don't have classes."

"Fuck that."

Ren approached the cot, and looked past Kasumi, toward the window. He would never admit it, but they had opened up to each other, that moment, in a strange way.

_Thou shalt have our blessing when creating Personae of the Faith Arcana._

Rumors would soon circulate that the transfer student jumped out of a third-story window, and kept on walking.

These were completely true, as well.

Access to flying Personae might do that for you.

* * *

**AN: Okay, two steps-**

**1\. Imagine Morgana doing the orange shirt kid dance before he transforms.**

**2\. Laugh.**

**Oh, dude, what if I made the same "ha ha teenager horny" joke again, wouldn't that be hilarious. Totally. Definitely. Nah. Joker is maybe level 2/3 at the beginning, because he did kill a couple of shadows when he awakened, so maybe it fits with persona-getting rules in canon. If you think it's weird how demons discovered Ren so quickly, go back and carefully reread Ren's awakening. If you can stand my shitty writing twice, that is.**

**By the way, when I said I'd like to write something like Minato's Long Date, I was not implying that Lavenza would be the canon girl, because I really don't know who will be yet. Might put it to a vote, but I do like her character a lot.**

**NoRoleModelz, I'll be honest, I was hitting a dry point in the writing, so the review really meant a lot. Thanks. Realized that my writing makes other people happy, even if I think it's shit, haha.**

**No, it's not normal for relationships to be founded on physical violence, but I don't think this is quite that. It's more symbolic, I guess. And Ren's not feeling the most normal either. And it's not too violent, and making it violent probably would have made me feel sick. I'm no white knight, or whatever, but it's really difficult for me to stomach gratuitous violence towards women. So no, not The Fools Tournament. No shade though.**

**Anyway, masks, personae, hope that made sense. Minato could do it too, but he needed a gun. Note, he's not actually summoning in the real world yet, he's just taking on some Persona attributes, like quicker healing from Dia or slowed fall from Arsene.**

**I read that thing by Eliezer Yudkowsky or whatever, the guy who wrote harry potter and the methods of rationality, about intelligent character design. I hope that makes Ren's character seem more real down the line. Had a lot of fun with the mementos segment of the chapter.**

**Review if you've got the time for it, feedback is what makes the world go round, and what keeps my ego intact- wait whaaaaa? Huh?**

**Two chapters each week for winter break, hope y'all appreciate it.**

**Merry Christmas, folks. Or whatever you celebrate- just have a good time, yeah?**


	10. Chapter 10

**April 20th, 20XX**

* * *

After yesterday, Ren's mind was still scrambled. He only just managed to calm down after getting back to LeBlanc. Sojiro said something about a phone call and told him to go to bed early, and he was all too happy to oblige. Because of that, he lay awake hours earlier than he needed to be awake for. He covered his eyes with an arm, protecting them from the before-morning light. He felt twinges of regret every few minutes, and couldn't get back to sleep. He checked his phone again, rereading the worried texts his… friends sent him. _I guess that's what they are._

The sound of Sojiro coming into the shop and settling in the kitchen was a small comfort, and the steady rhythm soothed his soul. It was because of this, that he heard a knock at the door.

Sojiro speaking. Something about surprise.

A feminine voice, young sounding.

_She wouldn't._

He spoke again. Ren couldn't quite make it out.

Delicate, graceful footsteps echoed up the stairway, similar to those of a gymnast.

_Wonder who it could be._

He turned to face the wall, feigning sleep.

The footsteps approached his bedside.

There was a soft noise.

Is she… crying?

Ren turned his head slightly. He saw Kasumi standing over him, an arm covering her tears.

"Hey… why are you crying?"

_Why do I care?_

"It's… nothing." The girl choked on her tears.

"It doesn't look like nothing."

"Don't worry about it! I'm fine!" She tried to smile, through the tears running down her face.

"No, you aren't. C'mere." Ren turned his body towards her. She knelt to the ground, wiping her face. He wrapped his arms around her and leant in for the hug. Or at least tried to, and ended up falling off the bed.

He lay next to the kneeling girl with an arm on her shoulder.

"Ha… Hey, stop crying. I'm fine! Damn it, now I feel like crying too! Ha ha!" Ren tried to keep tears from gathering at the corners of his eyes.

"I'm not... "

"I'm sorry, Kasumi. You didn't deserve that, yesterday."

"No! I shouldn't have tried to stop you! I thought you ran off or something and… I can't let that happen again!"

"Hey…" Ren pulled himself upright and properly hugged her.

"..." She was silent in his arms.

"I'll be fine. I get better quickly."

"So…"

"Friends?" He chuckled into her shoulder.

"Friends…" She whispered.

"Good."

"..."

"...Do you know what time it is? I don't think I got down to the bathhouse after yesterday, heh."

"It's around six..." She sniffled

"Thanks. I'll ask Boss to start some coffee and curry, if he hasn't already."

"Oh, please don't-"

"You've been waiting for this place to open since last night, haven't you?"  
"..."

"I can tell, you need some coffee, and skipping breakfast isn't good for an athlete like you."

A bell rang from downstairs. Not that the two of them noticed.

"Right."

"Now, uh, can I get changed-"

"No way, this _is_ happening?"

Ren looked over to the stairway where- Mishima, of all people, was standing.

"This is not _at all_ what you think, Yuki."

"Yeah, hehe, right. Uh, I'm just gonna… go get some coffee."

He carefully walked back down the stairs.

"..."

"I think that's the first time you've called him by his first name."

"I think this is the first time I've had friends…" Ren laid back and rested his head on the bed.

"Well, I'll just-" The bell downstairs rang a few more times. Multiple voices could be heard, something about Boss being surprised by the number of students.

"I'm not getting out of this one," Ren sighed. "Turn around."

The girl quickly did so.

Ren switched into his school uniform, climbing towards the window.

"Hey, you can't jump-"

She was interrupted again by multiple footsteps clamoring up the stairway.

"Later. See you at school."

Ren hopped out the window.

"Hey, Ren, are you- Yoshizawa-san? What are you doing here?" Ann asked as she quickly walked up the stairs.

"I was checking up on Ren."

"Well, where is he?"

Silence. Kasumi just stared at the window.

"You know what? He just left."

* * *

Ren stealthily walked to school.

Well, as stealthily as you could with a school uniform on.

He was probably going to pay for jumping out of that window. For both times, actually. Not even to mention that he had no clue what rumors were circulating right now.

Hopefully, nothing like yesterday would happen again. His stomach growled.

_Right. I should have stuck around. Conditioned myself with curry, damn it._

He passed the vending machines. A hand shot out and hit him in the jaw. Hard.

_So much for keeping the mask on._

_Pixie, Dia, I just bit my tongue off._

He just barely managed to block a kick from a gangster as he pulled himself off the ground.

"This the guy, cuz?"

"That's him."

Ren looked up and saw the guy he sprayed soda on standing behind a few gangsters in their twenties. A trickle of blood leaked from his mouth, as his tongue's tip was sewed back on.

"Damn. That one hurt." Ren smirked.

"Hey, shithead. I heard you was saying shit about my dollas bruthas- I mean, ma homies!"

You know his kind. He can be found in any country.

_Gotta love a guy who goes for the classics._

It's time like this in which things happen around this city that defy the imagination.

"I just can't catch a break, ha!" He wiped his mouth as he stood up. "I'm not a delinquent, but you know what? I might have to make an exception."

"Hey, Ren." Ryuji walked up, right into the middle of the situation.

"Not now, Ryuji. I need a witness, so don't get involved."

"Oh, it's that kind of thing? I gotcha." Ryuji leaned back in his signature slouch. He turned his back to Ren. "It's cool. For a popular guy like you, I'm sure someone's already recording. I'll vouch for you anyway."

"The hell are you punks talking 'bout?" The gangsters spread out, surrounding him and Ryuji.

Ren sighed.

"Makes sense."

"You know how to fight?"

"Ever takes karate classes as a kid?"

"Nope."

"Me neither," Ren smiled manically. "Let's do this."

"Ahem!" Him and Ryuji looked at the girl who interrupted them.

"Ooh, a cutie! Wait just a minute, missy, we'll get to you after we beat down these punks. Your school's got a ton of hot chicks for us to play around with." A few of the gangsters grinned crookedly.

Makoto Niijima sighed.

"Hey, uh, Ren. I think for your safety, and uh, mine, we should get back."

"Nah, I owe something to these guys. You go on ahead." Ren turned back to the president. "Hey, Niijima-san."

"Didn't I warn you not to get in any fights?"

"Not my fault this time. Whatever I do now is self-defense." Ren gave her a thumbs up. "That's a nice vest, so don't get any blood on it. Just leave these idiots to me!"

To illustrate Ren's point, one of the less intelligent gangsters rushed forward and slammed a wooden plank against the side of his head. Half of it went flying, as blood gushed from his temple. He curled down for a second, clutching his head.

_Pixie, I'm sorry to ask-_

_You got it, boss. I'll keep 'em coming._

The pain subsided as Ren stood back up. The president had a palm raised to her mouth in surprise.

"Ha… Ah ha! You guys really don't understand. A hit like that could kill a guy, right?"

"..."

"And since you just did hit me like that…" Ren threw off his school jacket. "That means it's attempted murder, right?"

"...!"

"So that makes whatever I do to you, tame in comparison, righhhht?" Ren grinned viciously.

"Kill his ass!" One of the gangsters yelled.

"You just don't-" Ren picked up an approaching thug mid-run and threw him over a wall. "-Get it, do ya?" He ducked under a baseball swing, causing it to hit a different guy instead. "We brawlers are sustained on willpower!"

He grabbed one of them by the wrist, cutting it like claws, and threw him against a vending machine.

"Even when mocked as reckless and crazy!"

He jumped against a wall and slammed his leg into a guy's jaw. Ryuji must have gotten the reference, because he laughed, as he threw his bag at another one, knocking him down.

"If there's a wall in our way then we smash it down!"

Ren high fived him and tossed a guy into a trash can.

"If there isn't a path, then we carve one ourselves!"

Ryuji knuckled a guy who was trying to sneak up on Ren.

"The magma of our souls burns with a mighty flame!" Ryuji pulled one of them up by the collar and flipped him over his head.

"Just who…" He kneed a guy in the temple, knocking him out.

"In the hell…" Ryuji headbutted the gang leader.

" **DO YOU THINK WE ARE!?"** Cried the two boys in unison, as Ren slammed the gang leader over his head into the concrete.

Silence swept through the street.

The stunned bland boy, who brought the thugs there, stood frozen, with a look of incomprehension on his face. The president collared him and dragged him towards the school.

Ren fell flat on his ass and started laughing. Ryuji did the same. None of the thugs stirred. After fighting shadows, Ren had a pretty good idea of how much it took to incapacitate someone.

"Hey, Ren, does this make up for Sunday?"

"Hell yeah, it does."

_I am thou_

_Thou art I_

_Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of mortality._

_With the bond of the Chariot Arcana, Thou will obtain the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

"Ryuji Sakamoto! Ren Amamiya!"

"Shit, Ushimaru!" Was heard from many of the student bystanders, who quickly rushed away.

"Hey, sensei." Ren didn't bother getting up.

"The student council president said that you two got in a fight-"

_Yep. I'm going to jail._

"-To protect the school."

_Or maybe not._

"Sounds about right. Couldn't let some geezers harass the girls."

"I'll let the geezer comment slip. Get up, you two."

"I'm a… bit tired out, to be honest, sensei."

The greying man sighed.

"Fine. Good job."

_Pretty badass if I say so myself._

"I usually abhor violence, but I was told you only fought back after being struck."

"Yep. I think there's some blood on the wood if you can find it."

"Didn't you get hit with a bat a few times, man?"

"Nah, I dodged. I think one guy had a knife. Got any cuts?"

"Nope. I think he dropped it somewhere."

"They attacked you with planks, bats, and knives?"

"Well, more like tried, but yeah."

"Take this more seriously, punk."

"Yes, sensei."

The older man gave a hearty laugh, which sounded foreign and strange, like the kind of thing you'd see in shitty fan- wait, what?

"Back in my day- Well, that's not important. The police will be here soon, so be ready to answer a few questions."

* * *

They were, and they did. Self-defense, someone brought a video, the student council president vouched for the two of them, yadda yadda. They were told to keep an eye out for any summons. Because they didn't use weapons and were _high schoolers_ up against multiple guys in their twenties, the cops counted it as self defense. Ren got to spend the first few periods in the nurse's office with Ryuji, and did the reasonable thing.

Which was goofing off.

"What's your name?"

"Ryuji."

"What's the color of the sky?"

"Blue."

"What's the opposite of down?"

"I ain't the smartest guy, but I haven't fallen for that one since elementary school."

"Right… Man, I'm bored."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Dude, you wanna go get ramen?" Ren called from the cot.

"Ain't we gotta stay here until after lunch?" Replied Ryuji from behind the curtain.

"Well, didn't the lunch period just start? It's probably fine-" A knock at the door interrupted the question.

Ren heard murmuring outside the door. A lot of it.

"You know what? I'll catch up with you later."

"Are you seriously going to jump out the window?" Ryuji deadpanned.

"Eh, I've done it before." Ren threw off his blankets and unlatched the window.

Another knock. Multiple.

"Wait, that rumor's true?"

"Talk to you later man, I gotta bounce." He hooked himself on the above ledge and scrambled up as the door burst open. He felt weightless as he pulled himself onto the rooftop.

_Man, Arsene's really coming in handy._

His climbing three-stories up surprised the auburn-haired girl that was watering some plants on the rooftop. They stared at each other, frozen. Ren could hear a massive group of girls in the room below talking to Ryuji.

"Hello, Amamiya-san!" She suddenly said, cheerfully.

"Hey." He swung a leg over the wall, and carefully avoided stepping on her plants.

"How are you doing?"

"Fine, thanks. How are you, er- Actually, I don't think I ever got your name."

"Oh! I'm Haru Okumura, it's nice to meet you!

"Ren Amamiya. No introduction necessary, as I'm sure you've heard."

"Did you really fight the Yakuza?"

"No, not yet, I still have all my fingers." He wiggled his in front of her, making her giggle.

"Of course. Even I can tell what's hyperbole."

"Well, later. I'm off to go find some lunch."

"Goodbye!"

* * *

Ren walked downstairs and bumped into Kasumi next to the stairwell.

"Ren? Shouldn't you be in the nurse's office?"

"Well, yes, but uh, it's looking pretty crowded right now." Ren looked past her, looking at the crowd of people going out the door. He shivered. "I think I got out at a good time."

"I'm not going to try to make you go back… Here's some lunch..." She held up a tied box. "Sakura-san-"

"You can call him Boss."

"Right, boss, he let me package up some curry and rice and bring it to you." Kasumi reached into her bag. "And I don't think caffeine is good for your recovery, so I got you some decaf!" She shook a thermos.

"Thanks. I'm going to find somewhere secluded to eat this so I don't get mobbed." Ren turned to head back upstairs.

"Hey, um... Can I eat with you?" She blushed.

"If you're okay with dealing with _that,"_ Ren pointed at the crowd, "Sure."

They walked back to the rooftop, now deserted. He looked around for a place that wasn't immediately visible from the doorway, and then a lightbulb went off in his head, just as a mob of footsteps could be heard clamoring up the stairs.

"There he is- wait, where'd he go?" Said one of the frontrunners.

Ren kept a hand on Kasumi's mouth as he pressed them both flat on the roof of the stairwell. They were completely silent, as Ren held her to keep quiet.

"Maybe I was seeing things… Let's check their classrooms!"

Shouts of agreement rang out, as the mob quickly retreated.

Ren let go of Kasumi as he sat up.

"Sorry about that. I can't catch a break, huh?" He sighed, with a slight chuckle.

"How did you jump up here? You were carrying me too-" She cut herself off behind Ren.

"Adrenaline, probably." Ren lied.

"..."  
"Hey, can I have that curry, please? I'm kinda hungry."

* * *

Ren managed to get back to his classroom without any trouble, though he was a bit late. He grabbed a nurse's pass sometime back there, so he just flashed it and the teacher nodded.

Boring as usual, he took notes, there's a reason most novelizations don't adapt this part- wait, what?

After class, he quickly said goodbye to Ann, before jumping out the window.

He seemed to be making a habit of that.

* * *

Because Ren didn't trust the school system or even himself, having used healing skills or not, he decided the best course of action would be to head to the doctor.

Specifically the one that probably did patch up jobs for the mafia.

Eh, probably not that shady. Unless she was living with a dullahan.

Hey, you never know.

"What's up, doc?"

She glared at him from behind the counter.

"I've heard that one too many times. Here for an… examination?" Said Takemi, slipping a sultry tone in.

Ren minimized his shudders.

"Yeah… See I didn't get in a fight, persay…"

"You got in a fight."

"Well-"

"We'll talk in the exam room."

They went to the exam room.

"What in the world?" Exclaimed Takemi Takemi, as Ren lay on the medical table.

"How would I know?"

"Your temple shows recent signs of scarring, but… How did it heal this fast?"

"What do you mean? I've been taking antibiotics and-"

"If this was as old as you say it is, you would have come in sooner. And even then this kind of thing doesn't heal in a week. Instead of healing in layers, it looks like the muscles all formed at once!"

"You can tell that just from looking at the skin?"

"What kind of freak medical case are you? When did this happen?"

"I really can't say-"

"I can call your school anytime. Those bandages are medical grade." She gestured at the bench, where a discarded pile of dry bandages layed.

"This morning."

Takemi stepped back and tapped her forehead with her clipboard.

"Hm. Right then, I'm calling the group."

"Wait, what about our deal?" Ren shot up.

"Hold it. When I was in medical school, we learned to contact them whenever there were abnormal injuries or cases. Like a bear attack in a Tokyo apartment, or people collapsing at midnight."

"So?"

"They won't involve the police. They wouldn't believe them."

"How do you know?"

**"Asclepius."**

A floating blue card appeared in front of the woman, which she swiped with her clipboard.

A figure balancing multiple colored vials appeared behind the woman, wreathed in a billowing black cloak.

"What the hell?"

The woman withdrew a caned stick from her coat and pulled a blade out of it.

"So. Demon, summoner, or-"

Now because he already knew what Minatos, who also knew about Personae, was like, he knew the correct reaction.

"Persona user." Ren leveled his model gun at her head. Not that she knew that. She stared directly into the barrel.

"I can see the plastic on that."

 _Damn._ Guess she did. He sighed.

Ren headbutted her and kicked the sword out of her hands. It clattered against the door while Takemi stumbled.

Asclepius raised its vials and shone blue light. A second later, she stood back up, rubbing her forehead.

"Okay, okay, talk. Talk is good." She glared at him.

"How'd you get your Persona?"

"Fell into a TV. My superior got drunk and accidentally pushed me in after I got- I left the old hospital I worked at."

 _Sure. Why not. I can ask Minatos about it later._ Revealing you didn't know something that you could easily learn elsewhere would be a dumb decision.

"Who's the group you're talking about?"

"I can't say the name, if you aren't in it."

"Basic description. Go."

"They research Personae, demons, shadows, etcetera. Anything supernatural, they want in on it."

Huh. Wonder if anyone else fits that description.

"Is a guy named Minatos involved?"

"No clue. I only report in my findings and talk to a few others involved."

"So no one I know. Don't report me."

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because you just pulled a blade on a minor, have recently ran shady medical trials, and most likely have made a "medical error" in the past.'

"..."

"Because really, why the hell else would a talented genius like you be out in this hole?"

"..."

"I'm not blackmailing you, but I really can't let this get out."

"Fine. Are those your terms?"

"Terms? Hell no. I just don't have the time for any more bullshit."

"...That's fair. For a student."

"Thanks. I'll come in again for medical trials."

"I haven't had the opportunity to test on Persona users." The woman smiled. "Alright."

_That was easy._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when creating Personae of the Death Arcana._

"Right, see you later."

Ren walked out of the clinic and closed the door behind him.

A shooting pain pierced through his head. Gunshots echoed, and the sound of silent screams reached his ears.

_THOU SHALT BE HEALED WHEN THY INDULGE IN THEE MADNESS_

_What the- No, I need a new catchphrase._

_What the FUCK!_

* * *

After Ren walked out, Takemi's hand almost immediately shot towards her phone, but she hesitated. He really did seem like a good kid, even if that headbutt hurt. Couldn't blame him. The group was shady enough, and could she let a kid being dragged into that settle on her conscience? Before she could deliberate, her phone rang

It had a familiar name on it, so she cooly answered as usual.

"Hey, Tae-san! How are you doing? Anything weird at the clinic?"

"Hello, Yukari-san. I'm doing fine. Nothing much, same as usual."

* * *

**AN:**

**I was not in the rightest mind when I penned most of this chapter, so I have gone back and changed some things. Probably the last time for this chapter. Anyway-**

**Hell yeah, 30k words.**

**The badassery (or perceived badassery) is only going to ramp up from here.**

**Sorry this chapter took a little longer than usual. Had to fine-tune the last scenes to be intelligent-er.**

**Okay, so I know that Ren's treatment may not be true to life how Japanese teachers would deal with him in real life, but if it was, nothing cool would happen.**

**Yes, I'm invoking Rule of Cool so Ren doesn't get arrested.**

**I mean, it's the same universe where Minato Arisoto never got the shit kicked out of him, so really, its beyond the impossible. Reason truly has been kicked to the curb. That's just how team Dai-Gurren rolls, eh?**

**Takemi is a doctor. Who else became a doctor in For Every Soul? Who's stepsister could go into the TV? Boom. She would probably have shown her stepsister the TV world. Drunk people equals stumbling.**

**Yeah, that contradicts ultimax, but until Atlus makes P5 Arena, it's not canon to Ren's story.**

**NoRoleModelz, thanks as always for the reviews. You are absolutely correct, Ren does need a may be obvious who the target will be, and that's coming in the next two chapters, I swear. The pacing is a lot slower because I like fleshing out the differences from the game. Lets me have fun with my writing,**

**Which, y'know, is the whole point of it.**

**But yeah, phantom thieves conflict coming soon. Here's where things really get screwy...**


	11. Chapter 11

**April 21st, 20XX**

* * *

_Thursday._

"Minatos!"

"Yeah, kid?"

Ren stormed into the Velvet Room as soon as he got off school. His method for avoiding the more... Interested students seemed to be improving.

"Not to get political or anything, but what the _FUCK_ is the Hollow Arcana?"

"Oh, you met another persona user?

"Don't act nonchalant with me, I want a damn explanation!"

"Why are you so worked up about it?"

"Because I don't like hearing gunshots that I didn't make- Because it's fucking annoying, that's why!"

"Stop swearing like a sailor-"

"Eat shit."

"-and I'll tell you-"

"Your aura pisses me off, I just realized."

"-about the Arcana. And thank you, I like to think that defines who I am." Minatos took a large gulp of- Pumpkin spice beer? It was orange-tinted at least.

"I don't care about that."

"You're impatient. As a shadow of what is basically-"

_You're missing out on lore, dumbass._

"Not that part. What does the Hollow Arcana do? Lavenza said that there aren't any Personae that have that Arcana."

_God, these capital letters are giving me a headache._

"Well, back in the day, there was one, but he's dead too. Guess who killed him."

"You?"

"Kind of. Time for a history lesson."

"Time for me to kick your-"

"Lavenza! Do you still have that projector?"

"Well, I'll look for it, but it's for fusion. I don't think it runs film." Lavenza walked through a door behind the bar and returned a minute later with a clunky old projector in her arms. She set it on the counter. Minatos snapped his fingers and a white sheet appeared on the opposite wall. Minatos placed a hand on the film insert. The lights dimmed as a clock ticked on the sheet. It cut to a scene set in a dark corridor. Ren realized the footage was taken from the first-person point of view. A man with brown hair rounded the corner, holding a gun, and a blackened mass of tentacles writhing behind it.

He could see it.

The way the world moved in that battle. The walls shifted whenever either combatant took cover. Clips grew out of the walls and fed into the guns without a thought. Masks formed on their faces as they fought, white and black, black and white.

Floors shattered like drywall, as the man pushed him through level after level. And both got up, healing gunshots and cuts almost instantly.

The footage cut off just as hundreds of spikes shot towards the man from all directions, even the heavy air itself.

"So that, Ren Amamiya, is the Hollow Arcana."

He stared down at his hands.

"..."

"Any questions?"

"...Lavenza, can I have a drink?"

She set a sparkly red wine glass in front of him. Refined, but playful, somehow.

"So, I can do that too?"

"Not on the same level, not yet."

"I don't think I've done that _at all_ before."

"Have you noticed things going too well for you recently? The world shaping itself to your needs? Like a smooth school wall suddenly becoming climbable, or an alley wall shortening enough to have someone thrown over?"

"I thought Arsene was doing the wall stuff. I was kinda running upwards."

"You can't fly with Arsene, not in the real world. The wall became slightly coarse, allowing you to use the friction to climb, perhaps."

"And what about the street wall?'

"Maybe it was spiral power, who knows?"

"You, maybe? Aren't you a god or something?"

"I've killed a few. Didn't manage to do in that last one, though. The big guy upstairs hasn't given me the all-clear on that arse."

Ren took a deep drink.

"I'm getting more and more used to all this stuff. I think I'm going insane."

"I think everyone is insane, but some are more sane than others. Outside the asylum, at least."

"Fuck off, Stephen King."

"Hey, you're learning!"

* * *

"Oh, also, I met another Persona-user. Tae Takemi, a doctor. She mentioned a group of Persona researchers."

"Yep."

"But you already knew, didn't you?"

Arsene was sitting on Minatos' other side, attempting to pick up another glass too small for its hands, with shattered glass on the table. Jack O'lantern had gone off somewhere, but Ren could hear hee-ho'ing and the pulls of slot levers. Pixie was attempting to talk to Lavenza, something about clothes. Aside from the hair, they both did have a thing for blue.

"Yep."

"Bastard. Why did I hear gunshots again?"

"The Hollow Arcana is different. Most of your social links-"

"'Confidant' sounds cooler."

"Whatever, whatever, mature past middle school- anyway, most of your social links are based on the faith and trust you place in others. The Hollow Arcana is different. It's the trust you place in your own insanity, your Personae, to do the impossible, see the invisible, and-"

"Fight da powa?"

"Exactly."

"Why did it happen for you and the doc?"

"Tae Takemi has a Persona. By placing your trust in another's insanity, the trust you have in your own grows."

"And what about you?"

"Spoilers."

"You son of a-"

* * *

Ren walked off from the Velvet Room, still slightly pissed at the shadow. Must bring out the worst in everyone, the bastard. He almost didn't notice he bumped into Yusuke.

A noticeably gaunter Yusuke. Bags had started forming under his eyes.

"Yusuke? What's up?"

The boy almost kept shambling on, but stopped and turned to him.

"Ah… Hello, Amamiya-san."

"You look terrible. Let's go get some ramen."

Yusuke's face lit up with… fear?

"No! I'm sorry, I don't think I can do that today."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you, I need you to leave me alone."

The boy turned and tried to run off. Ren grabbed his wrist.

Yusuke tumbled, and his phone and tiny painting dropped on the ground.

Both of which were already shattered. It looked like Yusuke had attempted repairs with office tape.

Ren stared at him, while Yusuke was frozen on the ground.

He quickly got up, pocketing his items, and starting running off again.

Shattered phone… That was a wooden painting, it would need to be deliberate to be broken…

He doesn't look like he's eaten in- No, since last week!

Ren's eyes widened. He started running off after Yusuke.

* * *

He followed Yusuke through the train systems subtly. He looked harrowed.

They only hopped a couple of trains, before Yusuke left the station altogether.

Ren followed him to a run-down shack.

Famous teacher, huh?

"Yusuke Kitagawa."

He turned around in surprise, almost losing his balance.

"Run-down shack."

"Amamiya-san, I insist that-"

He cut him off.

"Hell."

_"Beginning Navigation."_

* * *

In the shadow of a looming golden structure, there was a black forest as far as the eye could see, and a scorched trail leading forward.

Yusuke must have been really out of it, because he didn't even notice.

"-I don't need your help!"

Ren shook his head as his body lit alight into blue flames, switching to his usual outfit, drill in hand.

"If you didn't, this wouldn't have worked."

"What worked..." Yusuke finally took a moment to look around. "Where are we?"

"It's really complicated, but basically, we're in your head, and I'm going to do what I can to help you."

"What? Is such a thing even possible?"

"Take a look around. We need to find your shadow."

"My shadow?"

"All your darkest feelings and desires manifest into its own being."

"This doesn't make any sense!"

"Yeah."

Morgana walked up from a clearing, which was now occupied by a door to the Velvet Room.

"It's… That cat!"

"I'm not a cat! My name is Morgana. Ren, I'll help with navigation, even if I can't fight."

"Alright, let's go." He started down the gray trail.

Ren led in the front, keeping Yusuke in between him and Morgana, who was watching the back with a cutlass.

A shadow appeared around a bend, that looked like an actual shadow, with a blobby form, glowing white mask, and sharp claws.

He shot it right between the eyes, shattering the mask. The shadow morphed into a black horned beast with a white mane.

After seeing that bullets weren't super effective, and he would need to get in close for physical, he switched to Arsene.

Eiha didn't work. Damn.

He switched to Jack O'lantern and dodged over the charging beast.

Agi didn't make it go down.

"Last guess, come on, Pixie!" She appeared behind him, and they snapped their fingers at the horse-thing in sync. Lightning arced between them, and the Bicorn was knocked down. Ren walked up to it and placed his bolter at it's forehead.

"Whaddya want? Just be done with it."

"Let's talk."

"What have we got to talk about?"

"Might as well."

"Guess you're right…"

"..."

"..."

"...Nice weather we're having." Ren looked up at the crimson sky, contrasting against the black and bleak forest.

"Ain't you a regular saint, talkin' like you care about sentimental things like the weather." Bicorn snorted.

_Wait, you actually think this is nice?_

"Eh, anyone can appreciate it, has nothing to do with age." _Geezer._

"You get it, youngster! I know these ain't the best circumstances, but I think I'm taking a shine to you- Yeah, we're similar! We're both from that sea o' souls! And from now on-"

"Son of-" Ren almost tripped over himself trying to jump back.

"I'm you!"

He tripped anyway, being toppled by the mask.

"GOD DAMN IT!"

"Why do you hate getting new Personae this much?" Morgana bobbled up to him.

"It's violating, I barely get a say in the matter! They just come on in, and I'm stuck with them."

"Well, in the Velvet- You know what, I'll tell you later. That's what you get for having an open mind."

"Shaddap." Ren summoned his new mask, and the horned steed appeared next to them. "Bicorn, how long can you stay summoned?"

"As long as ye want, if you can keep up with the draining."

"I can live with that, as long as we deal with this quickly enough. Everyone, get on. Morgana, your bus form won't fit on these rocky paths."

* * *

Bicorn charged straight through the few other shadows they came across. Guess the distortion hadn't grown too strong. Yusuke hung limply on the horse's back, more being dragged by Morgana than anything else.

They came to a clearing, where an ice blue pool of water flowed beneath a fruit tree. Paint easels and supplies lay scattered around the pool, in various states of use and shredding.

Yusuke sat in the pool, eyes closed, his usual outfit clinging frozen to his body. His lips were blue, and…

His eyes were yellow.

"Ren, be careful, that's a shadow."

"Ya think?"

The resting copy opened its eyes and looked at him. It looked almost gleeful to see him, struggling to free itself from ice.

"Hello, Ren! Thank you for coming back!" He waved, exaggeratedly.

"What are you doing in there?" Ren carefully lowered the real Yusuke onto the ground as he broke the Persona.

"Ah, my sensei says that solitude and fasting are the cure to my artist's block. I stopped feeling the ice cut into my flesh long ago, so don't worry about that!"

"Do you want food?"

"Ren, why are you chatting with a shadow! That's an-"

"It's fine, let me handle this." He looked back to the frozen boy, who was somehow smiling. "Yusuke, is your master hurting you?"

"Oh, the very thought is ridiculous! Sure, he doesn't feed me if I don't meet his artistic quotas, but that's normal, isn't it? Struggle is a part of art!"

"When was the last time you ate?"

"Oh, last week or so. I had wished you not interfered in my artistic training, but the meal was enjoyable. Sensei could tell, of course, that I had lapsed in my judgement, and I've been doing extra training since! Such an admirable man, wouldn't you agree?" The eerie smile never left his face.

"Right, give me a moment." He turned to Morgana. "Yep, distorted. If this goes on, he could end up hurting himself for his 'art'."

"You know what to do." The not-cat nodded. "Mercy, remember?"

"Yeah, I'm like Batman, no killing for me."

"Didn't he used to kill people?"

"How the hell do you know that?"

"Shut up and do your job."

Ren sighed and moved to wake up the real Yusuke.

"Yusuke. Wake up."

The lanky haired boy refused to rouse. He grabbed a thermos of coffee from Morgana and poured it in his throat. Instead of waking him up with caffeine, he choked on it and shot up.

If it works, it works. Do you know how difficult it is to make someone swallow something while they're unconscious?

Ren clearly didn't.

"What is it? Is this nightmare still occurring?"

"Yes. Go talk to yourself." He nudged him towards his doppelganger.

"What? You're me!"

"Yes, me, I am you."

"Why are you trapped there?"

"Well, you would know better than anyone. This is what life is like for us, isn't it?"

"What?"

"Stuck in burning ice, trapped by art, unable to eat or drink, don't you remember?"

"That's not- No!"

"Sensei hasn't been back since last week… He made the tree grow even taller, to keep the fruits away from me! What an amazing man!"

"Well, yes, but- I'm happy like this!"

"Of course, the mercy of Madarame is the greatest thing you know! Friendship and other selfish needs are irrelevant, as long as he is pleased!"

"That's not-"

"Not what? True? We both know how you feel about it. After all, I'm you."

"As long as sensei is pleased... Yusuke collapsed to the ground.

Ren walked up to him and picked him up by the collar. Then slapped him.

The ice pool suddenly cracked, but was still rigid.

"Yusuke. You are not your master's tool."

"But I owe him everything!"

"Life is not something you owe anyone."

The crack grew.

"He's the one who saved me after my mother's death!"

"He saved you from Earth and brought you to Hell. Just take a look around."

Smaller cracks began spreading across the glass-like surface.

"No!"

"You deserve to be treated better! Acknowledge that!"

"I must do as my sensei-"

"Shut up! Learn, dammit. You need to _live_ before you can live for others. Your priorities are completely _fucked_ , can't you see that?"

The cracking became audible.

"If my sensei needs me to sacrifice myself for him, then that is what I must do! Why else should I exist!"

"No more 'buts' or 'hows' or 'whys', just do it, live! Yusuke Kitagawa, I refuse to let you die!"

The glass shattered into blue shards and exploded into cold, blue flames. A black, spiny, wooden figure approached through the flame. Ice covered it's waist and formed it's beady eyes.

Yusuke clutched his head, before looking upon the apparition.

"I, I know you."

**"But of course. I am thou."**

"And… Thou art I! I understand!"

**"Then call my own name."**

"You're… **Tantalus!"**

**"Yes. And I am you."**

Yusuke threw out a hand, and the figure melted into light, that flowed into him.

He collapsed to the ground again. Oh right, anemic.

Ren hauled him onto his shoulder and re-summoned Bicorn, hopping on with Morgana.

"I gotta say, I'm actually a little impressed."

"We're heading back. shaddap, cat."

"I'm notttttt-"

* * *

Ren appeared in the alley next to the shack with Yusuke over his shoulder and Morgana in his bag. As he rounded the corner, he saw an old man entering the house. They noticed him immediately, or rather, his luggage.

"You! What have you done to my student!" The man stormed over.

"I'm guessing you're his master, Madarame? He's been rather weak since I met him, just collapsed a few minutes ago." Madarame stiffened.

"I can't imagine why."

_Bastard._

"I don't think he's been eating very well. If he's under your care, I'd only hope that he is taken care of." His eyes slightly sharpened at Ren.

"Of course. I'll take him now."

"Make sure he eats well, alright?" _I have a few choicer words for you, you senile son of a-_

"I am well aware of his needs."

"Obviously. I'll be off then." He handed the boy carefully to his master, while he was rousing.

"Goodbye."

* * *

He decided to just head home. Ren didn't do much fighting in the distortion, but he was fairly tired regardless.

"Hey, kid. You look beat." Boss greeted him as he walked in. No customers, as usua- _Nah, he'd kick my ass if I said that._

"Don't even get me started."

"Trouble at school?"

_Did you hear me?_

"Everyone's crazy."

"Women or otherwise?"

"Yeah, sounds about right."

_I mean, they actually like me. Weird, right?_

* * *

**AN:**

**This chapter sucked to write, I won't lie. Couldn't get it out on Wednesday, so regular schedule.**

**Oh, Jumanji, happy new years, whatever. Came to a revelation that if I want my future to be real, I have to make it real with my own hands.**

**In my notes, I put it like this :**

**"My pen is the pen that creates my future!"**

**I'm working on some original work, but I need to see this through. So I channeled that energy into this. I want to be a famous writer one day, but I need to be the one that makes that day sooner and sooner.**

**Distortions don't work like the TV world. Yusuke's Persona, Tantalus, is formed from his distorted self, not his shadow. Take that how you will.**

**I think if Samjaz came back and told me my work wasn't canon, I'd actually be happy with that, because then I can really go off the rails. But no, universal consistency is the name of the game. But if he liked it, that would be pretty cool too. Win win situation.**

**Oh, two month anniversary. Funny.**


	12. Chapter 12

**April 22nd, 20XX**

* * *

Ren called Yusuke first thing Friday morning.

"Hey, Yusuke. Are you holding up alright?"

"Yes. My sensei said he would be pausing my training temporarily."

"Good. Call me if it resumes. We're going to get some food tomorrow after school, so meet me outside Shibuya station. After that, we'll try to go to his distortion."

"I still don't understand what happened…"

"I'll explain then. I'll talk to you later."

"Goodbye."

* * *

He pulled himself up to the second-story ledge of Shujin. Who uses front entrances anyway? Doors are for _normal_ people.

He peeked in the window. Ann looked shocked, but laughed and waved. Shiho nearly fell over. Ren knocked on the window.

"Ren, what are you doing up there?"

"Ren, what are you doing out there?"

Ann poked her head out the window and looked down at Kasumi, who was looking up out of a first-floor window.

"Hey, Kasumi. Your class is right below ours?" He switched to just one hand so he could get a better look.

She made an 'eep' sound. Probably not his best idea. Normal people don't scale buildings to get to class. Well, more like advanced jumping. Or ladder climbing.

"It seems so! What are you doing?"

Now, Ren thought of an answer that would have been a lot funnier _and cornier_ if he had sword legs and was upside down, but said it anyway.

"Oh, you know… Just hanging around."

He could _feel_ Ann rolling her eyes.

"I don't think you're _that_ big of a deal around here."

_And I didn't think this would be a big deal, but apparently climbing walls isn't the most acceptable pathway._

_It's honestly Dishonore- dishonorable, ahem. Something stuck in my throat._

"Oh my god! The transfer student is climbing the school!" Yelled a bystander, who was looking out of a classroom a few doors down.

"Son of a-" _Wait, women present. Can't say that. Damn._

* * *

"Yo, Ren!"

"Hey, Ryuji." He had to stop himself from sighing. He was going to go eat lunch with Kasumi, but _no,_ the student council president doesn't like the misapplication of rules.

"Amamiya-kun, you can not climb the school!" She slammed her hands on the desk in front of him. He lazily looked back at her.

"Well, how else am I supposed to get to class?"

"How else- Use the doors!"

"That's what normal people do. I don't think there are any specific rules against it anyhow."

"Just because it isn't explicitly written in the rules doesn't mean you can do anything that isn't forbidden! Common sense dictates that you do. Not. Climb. Walls!"

"I get that, but the rumors are bad enough. Don't tell me you hadn't noticed?"

"Of course I've noticed the student body's… _Infatuation_ with you, but that does not give you license to do whatever you please."

"I don't think the staff mind."

"Because they rely on me to do their jobs for- Regardless of what you may believe the staff think, and Ushimaru-sensei's strange respect for you, you need to follow rules."

"I'm not hurting anyone. I'm saving everyone some time, actually."

"Elaborate."

"Well, if I walked at a normal pace through the school, that would gather a large crowd. No one would get to class on time, least of all me."

"You really think that?"

"No. I just think climbing through windows is fun."

Ryuji was alarmed by the president's exasperated cry, but then remembered Ren was in there, and so was more alarmed for his safety than hers.

Eh, he could get some ramen out of it, if he played it right.

No ramen for Ryuji. Ren was dangerously close to getting smacked, though.

* * *

"Hey, Ren; Me and Shiho are going shopping after school. Do you wanna come with?"

He looked back while he was walking out of the classroom. Ann caught up with him and they kept walking.

"Like, for clothes?"

"Yeah! Are you free?"

"Well…" He really needed some more clothes. The school uniform was the closest to his fit size.

"Yeah, I didn't get the opportunity to buy new clothes before-" He stopped himself. _Dumbass._

"Before what?" She leaned towards him.

"Uh…" The two passed by Shiho in the hallway. Thank god for that girl, can always be relied on to get out of awkward situations.

"Hey, you two."

"Hey, Shiho! Ready to go?"

"I told you I have practice today…"

"Oh! Yeah, I forgot." She laughed. _Your friends are more than accessories._ "Ren, do you still need clothes?"

"Huh? Yeah, I guess."

"Well, let's go, then!" Shiho shook her head and turned to him.

"Good luck. Hope your back can keep up with it."

"What?"

She turned and walked off.

" _What?"_

* * *

_Thank god for Arsene._

No, really. Ren's spine would probably crack from the weight.

_Bags really aren't that heavy. Get a grip._

_Hey, it's a funny trope!_

That's what Ren thought to himself, as he was piled on with more and more clothes.

"Why do you need so many clothes?"

_...Is a question you should never ask a woman, boss._

_Not right now, Pixie._

"My part-time job."

"Which is?"

"Modeling. Haven't I told you?"

"Maybe, I dunno. That makes sense, actually."

"And why's that?" She nudged him with a playful smile. He froze up.

"Uh… You seem pretty good at fashion...and stuff."

"Thanks. It's a lot of fun. You should try it out!"

_Are you serious right now?_

"Me? Really?"

"You seem like a stylish kind of guy. Plus, you got that whole 'country boy" thing going on."

_I do?_

"Huh."

"Why else do you think there are so many rumors about you? Your personality?" Ren clutched his heart and kneeled mockingly.

"You cut deep, Takamaki. Real deep."

She just laughed.

"Well, why don't you come and watch a shoot sometime? Then you can see if you're into it."

"...Sure, why not. Don't remember people acting like that-" Ren cut himself off again, mentally berating himself.

"What's up with you? You always mention something about 'before'. Like, before you transferred, did something happen?"

Ren froze, locked in thought. He bowed slightly and shook his head.

"Listen, I can't talk about that in public."

"Well, let's go somewhere private."

Click.

Ren's hand shot out and grabbed the passing student's phone. The look on his face… That wasn't just a glare.

A nearly-invisible demonic silhouette floated behind him. Now, because humans, even when they can't see something, can _feel_ when something is off, the student instinctually flinched back. An average looking girl. Not someone you'd call ugly, but wouldn't pass the threshold to be called anything more than average.

" **I'll be taking this."** He swiped through the camera roll, deleting the most recent video of him and Ann, and a few photos. The girl squirmed but stuck around. He tossed the phone back to her.

"Th-thank you."

" **You've heard nothing. Get the hell out of here."** She turned on her heel and frantically ran off. He leaned back and exhaled slowly.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing."

"That wasn't nothing, what's the deal with you?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Well, you saw what she did-"

"Of course I did. I've seen how you act when you get pissed, it's like you're a completely different person!"

Ann's outburst attracted the looks of many passersby.

"Can we talk about this somewhere else, please?"

"That's what I've been saying!"

They walked past the Velvet Room, and Ren nearly stopped, before realizing that Ann's eyes had glossed right over the entrance.

"There probably isn't anywhere in Shibuya."

"Is it that important?"

"Well… A lot of students come here after school."

"Fine, fine. You live in a backstreet cafe, can we go there?"

"I guess."

* * *

Boss turned from his coffee for a moment to give him a smug look as the pair walked through the door.

"You work fast, kid. Reminds me of my younger-"

"Not right now, Boss!" He pleaded, sitting opposite of Ann, his back to the staircase.

"Okay, so, what's the deal?"

He slowly exhaled.

"I have a criminal record." Ann flinched, but stayed seated. He turned his head to the side. "You can go now."

Crack.

_Thou hast reversed thy bond of the Lovers Arcana. Only with care may it be set right._

_Sounds about right._ He felt Pixie become agitated in his mind.

"Are you serious?"

"Would I lie?"

"What did you do?"

"Didn't mind my own damn business. Guy fell by himself and sued. Didn't I say you could go?"

She ignored the question and stayed seated.

"So that's why you came to Tokyo…"

"Yep."

"Did you find out how to fight like that in prison?"

"What?"

"Like, how you beat down those thugs."

" _You what?"_

Ren turned to Sojiro, who had an angered look.

"I thought they called you?"

"They said you fell!"

"Oh, that was the day before. I talked to the police, it's cool."

"Take this more seriously, punk."

"Yes- Boss." The man shook his head and returned to the curry pot. "And I never went to prison. Probation."

"Ah."

"I said you could leave."

"Why would I do that?"

"Are you some kind of idiot? I'm a criminal."

"So?"

"That means you shouldn't associate with me, dumbass."

"That's no way to talk to a woman," called the owner.

"Not now, Boss."

"Why wouldn't I? One good reason."

"..."

"You don't have one."

"Well…"

"Shut up, Ren. We're friends, aren't we?"

_Thou hast righted the wrongs done to thy bond of the Lovers Arcana. Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Lovers Arcana._

"..."

"..."

"...You got me."

"Yep. Now, can I have some coffee? Black, no cream."

Boss sighed and went to start some coffee.

* * *

**AN:**

**Been on a Dishonored kick recently. Good game. Shame Bethesda never learned how to program roofs the same way in their later games. I mean, at least put in a getting-up animation, come on.**

**I think Mishima is actually my favorite character in the 5FES now, he's very fun to have around. Ren does cool shit while also being kind of a dumbass, so his fun comes from writing cool scenes. Mishima's thing is that he's weird in normal settings.**

**I've got midterms coming up, so sorry about chapter length. Like, really sorry. This is the shortest chapter so far, or at least, day segment. God, I wish I had more free time. I'll probably start skipping days, or only including confidant scenes. Shit takes too long.**

**It's probably obvious, but I don't have a beta reader, so we die like Shinjiro in canon.**


	13. Chapter 13

**April 23rd, 20XX**

* * *

_Saturday._

"We're going in. Today."

"Alright then. Outside the station, correct?"

"You're getting ramen first."

"...Fine by me." He clicked off the phone.

* * *

Yusuke reluctantly picked at his ramen. Apparently, the message hadn't gotten through.

"Eat."

"I am."

"Eat faster. But don't get a stomach-ache."

"Why the rush?"

"Daylight hours are less suspicious to be poking around." Yusuke's chopstick slowed halfway out of the bowl.

"That... doesn't sound quite right…"

"Don't worry about it."

In truth, he just had some studying to do later, but his reasoning sounded cooler.

* * *

They walked next to the shack, into the alley.

"Okay, trial runs. Ichiryusai Madarame.

Bzzt.

"How does that work?"

"We need names, locations, and distortion."

"I see."

"Run-down shack."

Bzzt.

"And my sensei's will be similar to mine? It's hard to believe he would have such strange thoughts."

"...Yeah, same."

Sure, he was totally lying to Yusuke, but he was a special case. _Idiot still believes in his master._

"And now we need the distortion?"

"Yep. Let me think… Well, he's an artist, isn't he? Museum."

Bzzt- Beginning navigation- Bzzt.

* * *

The world rippled red, as they traveled to the realm of cognition. The sky was a cloudy blue, and a towering structure filled their vision. It wasn't bound by style or shape, as it reached impossibly high into the sky, piercing even the clouds, and the only consistency seemed to be the golden peacock-like patterns on the geometry. The two stood in something like a parking lot.

"This… seems familiar." Ren turned to Yusuke, who had fallen to one knee and clutched his temple.

"Yusuke, did you eat before today?" He sighed.

"It isn't that. That tower, it reminds me of my distortion." He turned back to the tower.

"Now that you mention it, I can see what you mean. It looked a lot more shadowy in yours, but still."

Yusuke managed to stand back up. Seriously, can we get this guy to a gym?

"I'm ready. Let us commence."

The world froze and a blue door appeared in one of the empty parking spaces. It swung open, and Morgana tottered over.

"So that's where you were."

"I'm not your pet, don't patronize me. What's the plan, leader?"

"Leader?" Are you an idiot or something?

"Well, now that we have someone else with a Persona, and a navigator, it's fair to say we're a team now, isn't it?"

"I guess. But why am I the leader?"

"Do you trust the anemic to be in charge? And I can only fight with a sword!" The cat pulled a comically-large scimitar out of nowhere.

"Where did you get that?" He looked around Morgana's bobblehead.

"Not important. Anyway, I've been thinking, we ought to come up with code names."

"Why? Not that I'd mind having a bad-ass alter ego." The bobblehead rolled its eyes.

"Palaces are in the cognitive realm, the world of the collective unconscious. And while the owners may not know directly what happens in here, who knows what could happen if we go around yelling our names."

"They might look a little more closely at what we're doing." Ren guessed.

"Something like that, probably."

"Well, I'll be… Simon."

"No."

"Aw man. But-"

"NO!"

"Maybe… Arsene is a thief name, right?"

"No shit, sher-"

"That's the spirit! So Yusuke is… Tantalus, wasn't it?" Yusuke nodded, and he followed in turn. "Let's go with that."

"Well, what about me?"

"Totoro."

"That's a big 'no, thank you'."

"Fine, fine. Cheshire?"

"That sounds vaguely effeminate. And I'm male, obviously."

"Wouldn't it be better to throw them off the trail?"

"Maybe, uh… Shoot, what's a cat from Batman?"

"Are you serious?"

"Shaddup. And no, not Catwoman."

"Hell if I know. Tantalus, do you have any ideas?"

"Hm. That name will take some getting used to. Let me think." Yusuke took up what he could only assume was an artist's thinking pose, while he stared at Morgana. He looked around the bobblehead for a few minutes. He snapped his fingers and pointed at the cat. "We could name him after that American writer's cat."

"Who, H.P. Lovecraft?" He asked, jokingly, but knowing Yusuke-

"Yes! I believe the cat's name was-"

"YUSUKE, NO! You can't say that! We're Japanese!"

"What, 'Non-euclidian'?"

"Wha- What kind of cat name is that?"

"Well, what else would I be suggesting?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Wait a damn minute… Morgana, you're not even human, why do you need a code name?"

"Uh…"

Ren stepped back and winded up a kick, aimed squarely at the cat's dome.

"Wait! One more thing, Lavenza told me to ask if you have any Personae to fuse."

"...I could spare a few."

"Excuse me, who is Lavenza?"

Ren turned to Yusuke and tried to keep his thoughts about the barmaid to himself.

"Don't worry about it. I'm going to go stand in a corner for a bit, don't be worried."

"Alright?"

* * *

"Back so soon?" Minatos smirked at him, while drinking some kind of martini, with a white horn-like spike running through the olive.

"If you weren't an aspect of God, I'd be beating your ass right now."

"Don't let the big man hear you say that; He still believes in that guy."

"How do you reach god-status and still be a bible-thumper?"

"Ask him, I dunno."

"Trickster, would you like to fuse any of your Personae?" Lavenza danced around the bar with a tray that held four different glasses. One deep red, another sparkly, another orange, and one the same as what Minatos had.

"So my Personae literally were drinks…" He said to himself. "I'll take a Jack n' Bicorn, please."

"Right away," said Lavenza, sounding like more of a waiter than herself. Though I suppose, that's the trade-off of customer service.

"Oh, and shaken, not stirred."

"That's no way to make a martini." She said offhandedly while pouring the two drinks into a set of intake pipes.

"Oh. Take that, Bond!"

He heard something rushing from behind the bar, underneath him, and into the giant slot machine behind Igor. _Haven't talked to him much, a shame._

The slots began spinning. One stopped on a cartoonish face of Jack O'lantern. The one next to it lit up with a similar face, this time it was Bicorn. Lights began flashing as the last slot began to slow. It stopped on a light teardrop with a face.

"Ah, Saki Mitama. An excellent choice, Trickster."

"I can summon Personae I've had before, right?"

"For a fee."

"I bought you Big Bang Burger."

"Well… If your choices aren't too extravagant, I'm sure I can bend the rules." She huffed.

"Let's try Bicorn."

* * *

Ren walked out of the Velvet Room, managing to keep most of his money after promising Lavenza he'd buy her more 'real' food later. He'd filled out his entire Persona stock. Arsene, Pixie, Berith, Slime, Succubus, and his new and most powerful Jack, that was of the Frost clan. He'd said something strange before turning into a mask.

"Da Boss Jack wants an audience with youz, hee ho!"

Whatever that meant. Eh, he'd deal with it later. Though he felt a bit woozy after all the drinks.

"Yus- Tantalus, I'm back."

"Yes. What were you doing in that blue room?" His question stopped Ren dead in his tracks.

"You can see it?" He pointed at it with his thumb over his shoulder.

"Of course. Is there something strange about it? You walked out a little later."

"Those bound by a contract may… Ah, Personae contracts. That makes sense." He mumbled to himself.

"One more thing, before we leave. How am I supposed to use my Persona?"

"Well, just take off your mask."

"How?"

"Well, just kinda… uh… Shit. Can you summon a card?"

"I don't think so…"

"Damn. Okay, new plan, we're going to get you equipment and come back here later."

"Whatever you believe the best course of action is, Arsene."

"Alright, Phantom Thieves, move out!"

_I am thou_

_Thou art I_

_Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of mortality._

_With the bond of the Fool Arcana, Thou will obtain the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

"Shut up, Morgana."

Crack.

"Oh, son of a-" Ren fell down to one knee, gunshots ringing in his ears, and distant screams piercing every brain cell.

_THOU SHALT GAIN POWER THROUGH THE MADNESS OF THEE BONDS_

"Ren, what's wrong!"

"Nothing. So, we're Phantom Thieves?"

"That's what we are, right? Sneaking into the palaces, and stealing the twisted desires of the unjust? That's what any good gentleman thief would do, neh?" Ren couldn't help but laugh at the cat's posturing. _But..._

_I'm not a phantom yet._

* * *

"Takemi, my love!"

"Do you wanna get smacked?" She shot him an icy glare as he stumbled into the office.

"Joking, joking. Serves you right for the teasing- Anyway, I got some business stuff to talk about."

"Right. Head to the exam room. Though I can't imagine the medicine will go down well when you're drunk."

"Whatever, whatever, it'll wear off."

"I ought to report you." She clicked the lock on the door. "So, what did you want?"

"Friend o' mine, he's having trouble summoning his Persona."

"Is that a euphemism of some kind? I don't sell those kinds of pills-"

"No! I mean, he can't summon like you or I can."

"And I take it you don't have an evoker?"

"What's an evoker?"

"Right, I'll put in two orders…"

"Don't need two, I can summon without one."

"In the real world?"

"Well, not yet, but I can take on some attributes."

"Interesting." She looked like she was thinking. "I'll get the evoker to you in a few weeks."

_"Weeks?"_

"An evoker is shaped like a gun, used to summon the user's Persona, via the perception of death. Something like that, I'm not an expert. It's hard to ship stuff like that all the way from Yakushima on a whim."

"Yakushima?"

"Ah. Forget I said that."

"Are you ever going to tell me about this 'group' you work with?"

"I'm just a contact of a smaller cell of shadow operatives."

"The hell are those?"

"The name is self-explanatory. And I barely know anything about what goes on with the higher-ups, so I couldn't tell you."

"Damn."

"And as I said, I can't test medicine if you're drunk. Do you need anything else?"

"I'm not *hic*- Okay, maybe a little."

"Then get out of my clinic!"

"Talk to you later *hic* Boss!"

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Death Arcana._

"I said get out!"

* * *

"Damn teenagers." She shook her head and scrolled down to Yukari's contact.

"Tae-san? What's up?" The doctor answered after a few rings.

"I need to get an evoker up here."

"You need one of those? What for? I know you don't use them."

"Just a… side project of mine."

"Is it a boy?" Takemi shook her head at her coworker-turned-friend's comment.

"Since when are you a comedian?"

"I'm just joking, jeez. Fine, I'll ask Mitsuru for a spare. You're still at that backstreet clinic, right?"

"Yes, thank you. When do you get off work?"

"Just stepped into my office, I'll be out soon. Why?" She pinched the bridge of her nose thinking about the brat that was getting mixed up in all this.

"I think I could use a drink…"

"Alright, but you know where we ended up last time."

"It was an accident, I know. It's not like you were trying to push me in there."

"I'm not the best drinker, what can I say? Nothing like..." She trailed off.

"Your ex?"

"Yeah... Same bar in Shinjuku, same time as usual?"

* * *

**April 24th, 20XX**

* * *

Sunday, Sunday, nothing to do. Studying is boring. Ren lazed about in his room, half-listening to the news about mental shutdown cases downstairs.

Hey, the phone buzzed.

_"Trickster, I believe you said you would take me to another locale?"_

He could do worse.

* * *

Ren wore his casual clothes as he stepped in the Velvet Room. He stopped next to Igor, feeling a little bit bad for neglecting the owner of the room.

"How's your day going, Igor?"

The man simply chuckled and waved him off.

"I believe you have a previous engagement. Don't spend your precious time with old noses like myself." _O-kayeeee…_

"Lavenza. How'd you get my phone number?"

"Dial-up." She gestured off-handedly to a payphone in the corner.

"How do land-lines even work here?" He pulled out his phone, tabbing through to look for the call in his history- and couldn't find it.

"Perhaps you simply imagined the call." Ren shook his head, dismissing the line of thought.

"Whatever. Where did you want to go?"

"Minatos-" _That can't mean anything good._

"I can hear you, y'know!"

"Shut up, Minatos."

"-He said that humans gather in rooms with large screens and a singular projector."

"...So a movie theater?"

"Is that what it's called? Very well."

"There's one in Shibuya, so I've got no problem with it."

* * *

They bought tickets for two, though Ren felt a little silly buying an adult ticket for Lavenza.

When they got inside for concessions, Ren felt like his life was about to end. 'Why?' you may ask.

Because it was a Sunday, and Shujin had the day off. No uniforms, but there were a few familiar faces.

Like half the people he knew.

_It's not even Golden Week, what the hell is this?_

Apparently, a remaster of an old shoujo sports movie had been released the night before. Shujin had its fair share of athletic types. And women. A lot of women. Many of which he knew, and were…

In the theater.

Several heads turned towards him. Or rather, the velvet-clad attendant next to him.

_Damn that barmaid outfit._

"Lavenza… Is there somewhere you'd rather go?"

"Is there a problem with staying here?"

"Not necessarily…" He resigned himself to his fate. The line for snacks wasn't too terribly long. Get in, get out, thirty-minute adventure.

"Trickster, what kind of refreshment would you recommend?" He got strange looks from passersby.

"...Lavenza, can you not call me that in public?" He whispered.

"It would be improper to not refer to you by your title, correct?"

"That doesn't really matter to me, y'know. Just say Ren."

"Oh, but that would be much too improper for an attendant."

"Please, just- not that."

"How should I refer to you, then?"

"Just say-"

"Ren! Hey!" He felt a blush creeping up his neck as Ann and Shiho approached.

"Who's Ren?" He stuttered out, ignoring how the attendant swerved to greet the two.

"Greetings."

"Hello." She raised her eyebrow at Ren, who turned away. For all the badass posing, he couldn't handle a few women? Minatos would be laughing his ass off. "So… whatcha doing here, Ren?" She asked playfully. _Thank god, I might not get my ass beat today._

"Well, y'know… Just here to see a movie."

"Really? This movie?"

"Uh…"

"With… What's your name?"

"Lavenza."

"Right. With Lavenza?"

"Uh…"

"Together. Alone. With no one else."

"..." He covered his face, like a face-palm, but with noticeable redness beneath. Ann burst out laughing.

"I gotta say, I didn't think you'd be into this kinda movie."

"Wasn't my idea…" He muttered.

"..."

"What?"

"...You lucky bastard," whispered Ann.

"What?"

"Ann, it makes sense, considering," Shiho said, gesturing lightly to nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. He moves fast."

_"What?" You're choosing to ignore the obvious, asshole._

* * *

Ren ended up buying all of the food because they stuck in line with him.

"Sorry to cockblock, Ren." She laughed. He nearly tripped over his own feet, his face turning red. He bumped into a huge bucket of popcorn. The person holding the popcorn poked their head around the bucket.

And it was Kasumi. Because of course it was. Damn athletes. Was there some kind of school-sponsored event at the theater?

"Ren? What are you…" The girl trailed off, seeing everyone following Ren. Her eyes honed in on Lavenza, probably remembering the rumors from earlier that week. "So-"

"Ran into a few people in line." He quickly explained, not wanting to answer any awkward questions.

"Ah. Would you mind if I joined you?"

_Kasumi has joined the party._

* * *

Ren desperately wished he had another guy with them in the theater. Even Mishima would help save him from the hell he was soon to be in. He sat between Kasumi and Lavenza, with the other two in the group sitting to the attendant's right. He felt an odd sense of pressure in the air, emanating from the red-head.

He didn't have any specific gods to pray to, but he hoped that one of them would help him out.

For his own safety, he chose to not make any moves and just sit silently.

"Interesting, this is a 'movie,' correct? I believe my sister mentioned something about these."

"Yes."

Yes, it was blunt, but the less he thought about his impending death, the better.

Isn't life supposed to be less mundane when you fight demons? Since when did he have time for this? Seriously, if his biggest problems were _women_ , that probably meant he didn't have much going on. _Get to work._

"Have I missed out on some etiquette?" She asked, causing Ren to notice an assortment of couples starting… couple activities a few rows down. He could feel his face turning red, in the dimmed theater. Luckily, the damned thing started playing before he could answer.

It started out like any other 2000's teen comedy, you know the kind. Rock music, skateboarders, guys with emo haircuts-

Wait, what?

Minatos floated around in front of the screen. Ren reached out to keep Lavenza from pointing him out. Fewer people that knew about him, the better.

"Good luck getting out of this one, Renny-boy!"

_I'm going to kill that bastard, I swear to god. Not the one with blue hair, because fuck that guy, just by association._

"Is this part of the etiquette?" Ren noticed that he was holding Lavenza's hand, and kept his head facing straight dead ahead. He could feel Kasumi burning a hole into the side of his head. "Miss Kasumi, could you 'pass the popcorn'?" _Okay, new plan, write up a list of people to throw into a guillotine._ "Was that the correct phrasing?" She leaned into him, whispering. He carefully handed her the bucket while noting how much he needed a cold shower.

Minatos would definitely be laughing at him, no doubt about it.

She nuzzled into his neck, wrapping her arms around his; Probably without thinking about it. Seriously, who in their right mind would do that to _Ren Amamiya, the loser from the sticks?_

"This is… proper, is it not?"

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Strength Arcana._

_Not now, creepy voices, first of all-_

COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD

_Thank you, Jack Frost._

_Stop being horny-ho!_

He separated himself from the situation entirely, starting to think about how many buckets of ice he was going to use when he got home.

"I'm going to die," he said under his breath. He heard Ann snort.

"Hey, at least he can recognize it."

* * *

Due to the state of hypothermia he'd put himself under, he didn't really watch most of the movie. Couldn't remember much of what happened after the beginning. Or the middle. Or the ending.

Funny how that happens. Jack Frost thankfully reversed it after the lights turned back on. He didn't feel all that cold, maybe it was a psychological- _Wait, I'm a dumbass._

"Great to see everyone, I gotta go!" He tried to bolt towards the exit. Kasumi reached out and collared him. You know those menacing lines they put on characters in that show? Yeah, it was like that, but infinitely more intimidating.

"I think you owe us an explanation, Amamiya-san." He briefly felt like a caged rat, being hung by a few strings.

"You can keep the jacket." He slipped out of it and kept running. He'd deal with it later.

* * *

Somehow Lavenza caught up with him outside the theater, and he decided it would be rude to not take her back to the room. The Velvet Room- Christ, he needed that ice bath.

"Minatos."

"Yeah, kid?"

Clunk. Is that the right sound? Whatever.

He punched him right across the bar. It only smashed empty bottles, so probably not too damaging to his psyche.

"Lightweight."

"I'm a shadow, of course I am. You think I have the time to have all of my being here constantly?"

"You clearly do whenever it can cause me trouble."

"You're trying to sound badass when you're just whining. You know that docks you a few points."

Arsene picked up the nonchalant shadow and threw him into a wall.

"You know, I don't feel pain. I barely exist here."

"Stop getting in my way."

"Of what? You're doing fine as is. But no, Ren Amamiya, you can't have the harem you've always wanted, I'm sorry to be the guy to say it. Settle for one woman, god knows Minato couldn't!"

"I'm not Minato Arisoto or Arisato or whoever that is."

"That's obvious. And if you were fighting him instead of me, you'd be a splatter of red in no time."

"Bastard."

"Yeah, you've got nothing else to say, I can tell. Watch yourself."

"-And I'm not trying to start a harem."

"Don't lie to me. You earn a little bit of charisma and power, and you suddenly think you're the protagonist. That was actually true for Minato, but how about you? Whoops, I don't think you can handle that."

"Just shut the hell up."

"You came in here. I'll see you later." The shadow faded away.

Ren shook his head and sat down at the bar.

"That guy really gets on my nerves."

"I don't think he has that effect on everyone…" Lavenza absent-mindedly looked at him with concern while getting out two glasses.

* * *

**AN:**

**Ren guessing the distortion on the first try is reasonable, considering I did it on my first playthrough, and I'm no sherlock holmes. Or Arsene lupin, for that matter. The HP Lovecraft thing is edgy, yeah, but it was funny when I wrote it.**

**Yeah, the second day is basically Minato's Long Date, but it was fun.**

**Ren's a Persona protagonist, and we all know about harem routes in JRPGs. I don't think he was consciously trying to do it, maybe he's just a loser. It won't be a major plot point anyway, don't worry about it. Probably.**

**arata7kasuga- Good to hear it. Thanks for the review. You may notice that there aren't any pairings listed ;)**


	14. Chapter 14

**April 25th, 20XX**

* * *

He walked to school, ignoring the gymnast shadowing him a few meters behind. Lavenza wasn't that bad. For him at least, and it's not like it was his idea, right?

And never did get his jacket back. _I'll ask about uniform modifications. I'd look cool with a scarf._

Eh, Kasumi probably had it in her bag either way, it'd be fine.

* * *

"You want to what?" The student council president looked at him incredulously.

"I said I want a uniform scarf. I can wear that instead of a jacket, right?"

"It's the middle of spring, and you want to wear a scarf?"

"I mean, why not? Ooh, on second thought, can I have a badass long-coat instead?" He rolled some dice. Everyone knows that long-coats make you badass.

"...Get out of my office." She rubbed her temple frustratedly.

"But-"

"Now!"

* * *

You could modify your uniform, apparently, but you had to do it yourself, plus, it had to have the school emblem. And the pajama pants were required.

_I can work with that._

He leaned in the fashion club's room. Apparently, it was a new club as well. There seemed to be a lot of those after the last year.

"Excuse me, are there any Frenchies here? I'm trying to modify my uniform."

There were more than a few busy members, but one of them stood up. He had dyed blond hair. Like, Ann-blonde, not bleach-blond.

"Hello, Amamiya-san." He didn't look enamored, more formal.

"Oh thank god. I was worried you guys would be fangirls." Maybe it was because they had something to do with their time. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"About that-"

_Son of a bitch._

"-You hang around with the model, right?"

"Ann? I didn't think anyone around here knew."

"The fashion club prides itself on the knowledge we have of our subject material. Some of us look up to her, you could say. More like, we'd like to work with her, but that would be rude to ask. I know the students don't treat her well."

"You sound like a stalker."

"He's got a point, prez." Other club members who were organizing clothes racks and such loudly agreed.

"Ouch. Well, I was wondering, do you work with her?"

"Huh?"

"Well, are you a model as well? You've got the figure for it." Ren felt vaguely creeped out as he started checking him out.

"You're scaring him, prez."

More clear agreements. The president shook himself out of it and turned back to Ren.

"You'd like to modify your uniform, right? I think we can work something out, you'll just have to model for us." The club members turned toward him with calculating looks.

"That might be the first good idea you've ever had, prez."

God, was everyone here part of a hive mind, or is he just a butt-monkey?

"Bartender!"

"Yakuza!"

"Maid!"

"Samurai-"

"Eh, full stop, what was that last one?"

"Finally, someone who gets it! Samurai are the coolest, right?"

* * *

He gave them the measurements. More like they took them before he could blink, shoved him on a podium in the middle of the room, and started looking through their costumes.

"Who are you guys, anyway?"

"I'm the apprentice of the master fashion designer, Andre Laurent-"

"Prez, you only met him once."

"Details, bah. I'm Taro Tanaka, the president of the fashion club, as you may have heard."

"I'm Ren Amamiya."

"Oh, we know."

"Prez, stalker."

"Whatever! This is my vice president, Hanako Yamada" She waved to him with her elbow on the table.

"A pleasure."

_Yep, never remembering those names. Unless they're confidants, then they're important._

"Minato did the same stuff you're doing." He ignored Minatos. Must have too much time on his hands. _What, not caring about people that weren't his social links?_

"No, he got a special uniform from a blond." Then he disappeared. _Why am I getting called gay by a ghost?_ Logic need not apply to bastards.

"Alright, Amamiya-san. Please try this on." He held out a samurai costume and gestured to a partition. "I'll put a few guys on that long-coat. It may have some extra stuff though."

* * *

_Thank you, Jack Frost._

Holding badass poses for photos can tire out your arms.

_No problem, hee-ho!_

Freezing his body did come in handy. Free air-con, too.

"Okay, now do 'triumphant warrior at the end of a battle royale'."

"Like in that movie?" He held up three fingers. The girl shook her head.

"No, like you've just fought your way out of an assassination attempt."

"Oddly specific. Don't try to pull a knife on me, you'll get exactly that." She chuckled and kept snapping photos, not knowing he meant it literally.

* * *

"Do you think we should get him a yellow wig and shades?"

He'd put on the bartender uniform, but they looked at him like there was something missing.

"We can't hide his hair, that'd be a disgrace to the art!"

"Alright, alright. Maybe the shades? His eyes are dull. Contacts?"

Ren fumbled in his pocket for nothing, while subtly summoning Jack Frost behind the partition.

"Wait, I've got a pair right…" He faked putting in contacts and turned back to them. "Here."

"Wow! Where'd you get yellow that bright? Usually, we just get a watered-down brown result."

"Eh, they were on sale. Limited edition, they don't make them anymore."

"Damn. I think we could use some."

_You have no idea._

"Language, prez." Called most of the club members absentmindedly.

"Oh, come on!"

_You'd think they were babysitting._

* * *

"This good?" They made him wrap bandages around his chest and hung a ripped blazer over him shirtless. They switched him into a pair of cut-off uniform pants.

"I'm really liking the Sakamoto vibe."

"Eh, Ryuji's not that bad."

"Oh man, you should have seen him before the Student Council President got to him, right after Kamoshida- Well, that's not my place to tell, sorry."

"Don't worry about it-"

"Ren!" Kasumi slammed the door open. She looked actually angry for once. Or maybe just tired from running around by the look of it.

"The gymnast? Oh, could the two of you do a duo shoot?"

_Whoever this guy is, I'm going to murder him._

She noticed his current attire, flushed red, and ducked out the door for a moment.

"Actually, I can wait, just…"

"What's her deal?" Asked the prez before turning back to his camera.

"I dunno."

The female club members all shared a kind of _look._

* * *

"Well, Amamiya-san, it was nice working with you." The prez handed him a folded-up coat, with the Shujin logo emblazoned on its breast pocket.

"Likewise."

"Now, go deal with that friend of yours. I think she's still out there."

"She is? Well…" Ren started longing for the comfort of the window. Unfortunately, that room didn't have any, most likely to prevent peeping. He looked up at the ceiling panels while pulling on his new jacket.

"Those are movable, right?"

"The ceiling panels? I believe so- Ah, is that one of your transport vectors?"

"Haven't tried it before, might as well." Ren climbed up a stack of boxes in the corner, just as Kasumi walked back in the room, looking at the time.

"Ren-" He shut the panel and started crawling. Arsene gave him night vision, who knew? Might just be the glowing yellow eyes. Wait…

* * *

"Hey, prez? Since when did we have this Jack Frost doll?"

"Huh. Dunno. Maybe one of the first years brought it."

The Persona knew what was good for it and stayed completely still and perfectly visible. Might have been the demon in it.

They didn't notice the redhead also climb into the ceiling behind them.

* * *

Ren trudged along the tiles, trying to remember where an empty room was. He felt like he'd been crawling for a while, trying to get away from his starting point. He carefully lifted up one of the ceiling tiles.

The loud sound of showers running and girls giggling. He silently slammed it shut again, his face lit up scarlet.

_Girls changing room. Do not remember. Will not remember. Will not tell Mishima exactly how to get there._

He kept crawling, even more silently than before, seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. More likely just a vent to the outside. He felt a tug on his jacket. Kasumi had followed him, because why wouldn't she.

"Ren, are we going to talk?" He sighed and pulled himself into a careful sitting position. Those panels weren't the strongest.

"Really? Here?"

"Please?"

"...Fine. What do you want to talk about?"

"What's the deal with you and that girl?" _This crush or whatever it is is getting annoying._

"I didn't expect her to do whatever she did that pissed you off."

"I wasn't-"

"You expect me to not lie to you. Common courtesy." She gulped.

"Right. Are you two a… couple?"

"We're friends. She's new around here, so she doesn't quite get all of the mannerisms."

"That sounds like an excuse." Ren felt a twinge of annoyance.

"Why do you care?"

"I'm just worried about you-"

"I've known you for what, two weeks? We're friends, I know, but I don't think you know me that well." _Where is this dedication coming from?_

"Exactly, we're friends! I don't want anything bad to happen to you! My sister-" She clammed up suddenly.

"Seems like we're both hiding something, huh?" He glared lightly at her, while she turned away.

"It's- Nothing."

"Okay."

"...Really?"

"If it's not my business, it's not my business. I'm not going to pry into your personal life and drudge up something you hate talking about."

"Thank you-"

"You don't seem to give me the same respect. Listen. I like you a lot. We're friends. That's the idea. There are some things about my personal life that I can't tell you about."

"But what about her?"

"She knows some things that you won't understand. And I'm serious about this, you shouldn't know."

"But I want to know!" She grabbed the lapels of his jacket. He carefully removed her hands. "I want to understand you!"

"You can't. Not right now." She sat back and stared at her shoes. "We might be able to talk about this again in a while. But not today. I'm sorry."

"Alright. I'll... leave you alone from now on."

"No, not that. We're still friends, right? But as my friend, you have to respect this."

"Okay…"

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Faith Arcana._

_Thou hast reversed the bond of the Faith Arcana. Only with care may it be set right._

Hey, that's a new combo. _I might have to leave this one as-is for now._

"Now let's get out of here." _I don't want to leave Jack Frost down there any longer than I need to._

* * *

He held her tightly as he dropped down the side of the building, before breaking the Persona. It wasn't that far, it was plausible. It was later after school, so he would probably be fine.

"I'll… see you later." Kasumi wiped her face and walked off. Ren felt like a bastard. He sat against the wall and slid down. Mishima walked around a corner.

"Wait, let me guess. You're thinking, "What kind of man am I, to make a girl cry."

"Fuck off, Izaya."

"Hey, I resent that! I like the coat though."

"Wait 'till you see the photos." He laughed with a smudge of tears in his eyes.

"From the fashion club? The prez is one of my best customers, something like knowing the current trends. He sends them to me before anyone else."

"You're some kind of evil overlord, ain't ya?"

"Not quite, in fact, I prefer the term 'optimization' over 'world domination'."

"Whatever. How'd you know I was here?"

"He said you climbed in the ceiling. This is the most remote vent exit, plus, closest to the club room. Simple deduction."

"Then I'm the Lupin to your Holmes, huh?"

"I wouldn't mind the comparison. Wanna talk about it?" Ren looked at him strangely.

"You're breaking character."

"I can't be whiny about my problems all the time, right?" He pulled a pair of drinks out of his bag and handed one to Ren. He pulled the tab, took a big gulp, and started rambling.

"So there's this girl."

"Yoshizawa."

"Other girl."

"The blonde with a thing for blue."

"Yep."

"Damn. And you're tapping that?"

"You wanna die?"

"Joking, joking. Go on."

"We were at the movies with some friends."

"Ah, so that's where the fivesome rumors were coming from…"

"Not even close, obviously. The blonde," he felt that using vague terms might be better, "Was leaning up on me during the show. She doesn't quite get Japanese mannerisms."

"Ah. I figured that kind of thing transcended culture." _Shit, that's a fair point._

"She's a bit of an idiot."

"Okay, I get it. And now Yoshizawa is pissed about that?"

"Yep."

"You know, there are worse problems to have than multiple women fawning over you."

"You sound like that guy whose ass I'm going to kick."

"Alright, alright. Just remember to send me a video, yeah? Of the ass-kicking, I don't want any sex tapes."

"Whatever man. Thanks. I'll talk to you later."

"No problem. But as a rule of thumb, you don't make women cry."

"Like you know anything about women."

"Hey!"

* * *

_Wait, did I summon a Persona in the real world?_

* * *

**April 26th, 20XX**

* * *

Ren heard a commotion outside the classroom, Wednesday afternoon, and stood up to get a better look.

Girl fight. Probably better to not get involved, they fight _dirty_. He resolved to jump out the window at the first opportunity, to avoid the crowd of cell phones that would inevitably show up.

"You can't talk about senpai like that!" She tackled the other girl, pulling her hair. The other girl, the one in gym clothes, gasped and pushed her off.

"You're a damn third year! Why are you calling Ren that?"

Wait, what? He ran out the door, sizing up the situation, and tried to drag the bleeding girl away.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He turned his back to her, and tried to assess the damage. Scratched arms, face, broken nails… She'd live.

"Oh, senpai!" He felt someone try to hug him from behind.

"Get off me!" He tried to pick up the other girl to take her to the nurses office.

Did… Did she seriously just bite her? The girl growled as she spit out blood that was not her own.

"She doesn't get how great you are, senpai! She doesn't deserve to be held by you."

"What the fuck! Someone get a damn teacher!" He tried to shield the girl, who now had a streak of blood running down her leg. It only then registered who he was holding.

_Shiho?_

He looked around. Everyone was just standing there, either holding out their phone like robots or looking gleeful. Their eyes were wide, wider than eyes ought to be, and their smiles were such that if you held them for longer than a few seconds they'd become rictus grins.

"Senpai!" The girl from earlier wrapped her arms around his leg and nuzzled her face into his thigh.

"What the hell is this!" He kicked himself out of her grasp, noticing the crowd's change.

Their smiles remained, but their stares seemed to drop below freezing, and their fingers started twitching like insect legs. Ren threw his arm under Shiho's legs and bolted, carrying her bridal-style past everyone because _holy shit_ this was all too weird and he didn't wanna get torn apart and eaten like that guy from _Day of the Dead_.

* * *

His eyes flashed yellow as he ran like the wind, and by the time he found it in himself to stop, he and Shiho were basically on the other end of the school.

"Sorry, Ren..."

"What even happened!?"

"We were just talking, and I mentioned you, and everyone just _turned_ towards me, it's the weirdest thing. You can put me down."

"You're bleeding! Your leg!" He rounded a corner and slowed down.

"I'm an athlete, I'll walk it off." He carefully turned her so she could stand up. She winced, standing on her free leg.

"You sure?"

"I'm tougher than I look," she said with a smile. "I'll be okay getting there on my own."

"Okay, no. Okay? That just isn't right. Wait a sec. I oughta-"

"Ren, it's fine-"

" _No, it's not_!" Ren ran his hands through his hair, "Nothing about this is! I'm taking you to the nurse's."

"I don't wanna trouble you."

"No, it's to make sure _you're_ safe. The nurse's office is close enough to the student council, and I'm going there anyway."

"What - what's this about student council, all of a sudden?"

"I'll talk to Niijima. See if she can help me do _something_ about this before things get even weirder. At least lemme do that much for you."

It took a while for her to respond. She was weirdly hesitant about it when she did. "Okay."

* * *

"You brought this on yourself, Amamiya-san."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!" He damn near slammed his hands on her table. Ryuji stepped forward, but hesitated, seeing that the president wasn't fazed.

"You've let these rumors fester, like a cancerous growth. Playing your games with the students, fighting in clear view of the school, drawing as much attention to yourself as possible. It's a wonder this didn't blow up sooner."

"This isn't a god damn book report! Aren't you concerned about this? A girl was attacked because she said my name! That's all! Isn't that something you should do about that?"

"I'll see about appropriate punishment for her. That's all I can do."

"Appropriate punishment? So what, suspension?"

"Detention." He wasn't quite sure if he heard that right, as his vision blurred red.

"...Detention."

"It's the best I can offer you." She was trying to… appease him. His fists clenched on their own.

"Shiho is going to have a scar on her leg where that girl bit her. And she didn't show any remorse, that- She just kept on coming!"

"I'll have the teachers speak with her, to verify-"

"Verify- VERIFY? CHECK THE DAMN NURSE'S OFFICE, THAT'S ALL THE VERI-"

"Stop. Now."

"Fuck you. This happens again, or god forbid, happens again, and I can't stop it, I'm not going to hold back."

"Amamiya-san, I must ask you to control yourself."

"How about you control your fucking school, Niijima. How about that, huh? The students don't seem to respect your authority very much. God knows I don't, when the only thing you a _ctually_ deal with is little shits who complain to mommy and daddy." She stood up, took a breath, and slapped him. Not hard, but hard enough to get the message across.

"Might I remind you, Amamiya-san. You are on criminal probation. You will not speak to me in my school-"

"See, you're just like them! You're so damn focused on Shujin- It's just a school! You get a little bit of authority, and think you can do whatever you want!"

Bzzt.

"Are you any different?" It was quickly escalating into a shouting match, and even Ryuji, who would be considered brave, would have questioned getting between the two. So he did.

"Of course I am, I'm worse! I shouldn't be the damned standard! That's the only reason I'm here, I was too shitty to stay home, and I wasn't shitty enough to go to prison!"

Bzzt.

"Stop-"

"No, it isn't news to me, Makoto Niijima, that I'm not any fucking different!"

Bzzt.

In the silence that followed, there was only a small voice.

"Beginning navigation."

* * *

The walls were lined with lead, covered in all assortments of metal panels that'd been shoddily bolted on top of each other. The windows had bars that were so close together that barely any light came through. The courtyard outside had grown barren, the railings cracked, and the walkway covers losing a few tiles. The sky was a deep, neon blue, so bright, and piercing, and flickery- He'd probably blind himself if he stared at it for too long.

"Oh, for fucks sake, how did we end up here?"

"What is- Ulgh…" The president nearly fell over, from the sudden wave of nausea.

"What is this place?" Ryuji asked, while kneeling on the ground, trying to keep himself from retching.

"Shit. I wished I wouldn't have to explain this part of my life…" Ren mumbled, before screaming in frustration. His clothes quickly burnt into their metaverse form.

"What the hell?" Ryuji asked, while the president recovered from her nausea.

"I'm thinking the exact same thing." He looked over at the locked door. "How are we going to get out of here?"

"Wh-what is _here_!?" He nonchalantly looked over at the president, who he was screaming at moments before.

"Sit down, shut up."

 _"Excuse me?"_ She said sharply.

"To put it simply, you are not in charge right now, Makoto Niijima." He tore off his mask, summoning the demonic Arsene behind him. Both of them flinched wildly. "We are in the realm of cognition, formed through the distorted beliefs, desires, whatever, of whoever the owner of the distortion is." He tapped his temple and closed his eyes. "And I'm thinking that's you."

"So we're inside an alternate dimension, formed by thought, that looks different depending on whose thoughts are used."

"Got it in one."

Ryuji just looked between them, seeming plain confused.

"That's ridiculous!"

"Too bad for you. If you can't handle a little weirdness- Well, it's going to get a whole lot weirder."

"And this place can't be formed from my cognition, that would be preposterous!"

"Why, because it's an alternate dimension, or are you too perfect to be wrong about the world?"

"I'm not- You must have something wrong!"

"Riddle me this, Makoto Niijima. We are in the student council room. The view from the window is the same, albeit very different, and the hallway looks the same. Now, why does the door have bars on it?"

"What?"

"If you think you're so in charge, why don't you have keys?"

"Because- I don't know, this whole thing is just insane! You did something, like- poisoned the drinking water! I must be hallucinating, there's no other solution."

"I think you don't believe that. You believe what's happening right now, but you can't handle the implications." Ren could swear he felt something crack in the air.

"No!"

"You feel trapped in Shujin Academy." It clicked for him. "You're stuck. No one respects you, but they expect you to take responsibility."

"I don't- I have to do this, it's what my sister did!"

"Don't convince me, convince yourself." He gestured to a festering cloud gathering in her usual seat, that was turning into an exact copy of her. Yellow eyes, black aura, the whole nine yards.

"...another _me_?"

"Well, obviously. I'm a smart girl, I'm a good girl." The shadow said, smiling. "I do what my sister did, because I don't want to disappoint her. I do what the adults tell me to do, because I don't want to disappoint her. I do what everyone expects me to do-"

"Shut up!" Crack.

"Why? I'm you. Is this new information? I thought I knew everything."

"I don't know everything, no one does."

"Sure. But it sure does feel like that sometimes, doesn't it? I'm sure my sister does. She's exactly who I should be when I grow up."

"But I- I don't want to be just like her!"

"Then why do I do everything she did?"

"Because that's what I'm supposed to do!"

"Says who? Who determines your path in life?"

"What- Me, of course! No one else!"

"I don't believe that, and I know I don't believe that either. A good girl always follows the example. She sets an example for others where she walks, like a golden touch. She focuses on schoolwork, with no time for boys or socializing. She's not a whore, she's a perfect madonna." The shadow said this in a completely calm, not at all creepy facade.

"That's not what I think-"

"In truth, I think I'm jealous of Amamiya-san. He's more locked up than I am, but gets away with breaking out of the boxes we've put him in. Whenever I step out of line, which I rarely do, I'm stamped right back into place. That's what it takes to be a good girl. That's what it takes to be just like Sae Niijima."

"I don't want to be just like my sister!" He noticed the bars on the door crack slightly.

"Then what do you want? Are you going to let everyone kick you down?"

"No!"

"Then what do you want?"

"I want-" Blue aura started collecting around her eyes. He shielded his eyes.

"Take what you want with your own will!" The shadow said forcefully, as it started melting into light.

"I WANT TO BE FREE!"

An iron mask formed on her face, like the shielding of a knight, without the rest of the helmet. She tore it off, spraying blood across the room. Ren briefly wondered if he had that much blood the last time he took off a band-aid.

Her persona formed below her, taking the form of… a spiked motorbike.

_Badass._

Ren noticed Ryuji staring dumbly at the scene, and pulled him out of the way, right in time for the girl to rev the engines.

"Johanna! Full-" _Cowling?_ "THROTTLE!" The bike lit up, and slammed through the door, shattering it into barbs, impaling them into the opposite wall. The rest of it smushed a passing Miss-Chouno-shaped cognition. She turned and braked. She smiled at him, as he carried Ryuji over his shoulders. He barely even protested. Ren decided to let his brain catch up.

"Coming?"

He swung a leg over the bike and settled into it. "Does this thing come with seatbelts?"

Evidently, it did not, and barely had time to wrap one arm around her stomach before she bolted down the hallway, flying through any shadow that dared stay in her way. Most of them were teacher shaped.

Then they got to the cafeteria. _That_ got them to stop.

"Oh my God..." muttered Makoto.

Shujin, being a relatively small school, didn't have a particularly roomy cafeteria. Dozens could fit in at a time, which wasn't much of a problem at all, since the school had a spacious courtyard and classrooms for other students to convene whenever lunch started.

But somehow, someway, Ren and Makoto could see through the windows that more than a hundred students had crammed themselves in. Every single golden eye was locked on the two of them. They held no expression and kept their hands pressed against the glass, their mouths were just hard lines that had the barest hints of lips.

"Brains?" Ren couldn't help quipping.

 **"Join us..."** Murmured the crowd. Ren noticed a certain air of anticipation starting to coalesce in the room.

"Niijima, start the engines."

"What? Those are students... Right?"

 **"Join us..."** The air grew thicker.

"GO!"

 **"JOIN US, _JOIN US_!"** The horde started rushing for the doors, like a wave, as they took off. They didn't even think to break down the windows, though they easily could have. They just pushed and stomped and piled over each other at the door, chomping at the bike and dragging themselves in waves, running to catch up and shouting in unison-

**_"JOIN US JOIN US JOIN US JOIN US JOIN US-"_ **

"Front door, front door!"

They managed to turn into the front entrance, as a tsunami of shadow corpses piled behind them. They shot out the door, flying over the barbed wire wall, straight into an alley.

* * *

The engine shuttered to a stop, as the Persona dissolved beneath them. They fell into a pile.

"...Huh." Ren stared up at the sky. "Looks like I've got a new teammate."

"What?"

"This is my extracurricular. I go in people's heads and make them feel better about themselves."

"...I don't see why not." She looked at the neon-blue above them. Makoto's hands were trembling. "I've never felt so… Liberated before. It's a rush."

"...It's actually kind of weird. I got mine like that, but the last guy's didn't work as well."

"You've done this before?"

"Oh, yeah. He wasn't eating enough, but we're going to deal with his master as soon as we get his equipment. He can't summon with a mask."

"That sounds serious."

"I think I put it in lighter terms. His master knows that I know that if anything's up, I'll do something rash."

"You would beat someone based on suspicion?"

"Worse, I'd leak the information onto the internet. Fate worse than death, nowadays."

"You're joking."

"Got it in one."

"Ha… The school year just started… Can I get some of my work done, before I dedicate myself to whatever it is you do?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. I'm just trying to figure out how everything works right now. If you ever come to a decision, or have more questions, go to the Velvet Room in Shibuya."

"I don't think I've heard of that place."

"Only exists for Persona-users."

"Ah. That seems logical. Maybe it's some threshold of insanity that needs to be broken."

"You know how many people would have broken that threshold in the time it took for you to say that?"

"Fair."

Ryuji groaned, not understanding a word of what was being said. Felt like dead weight more than anything.

"Oh, I forgot he was here!"

"Me too. And I was carrying the guy!"

"You guys…" He turned green, the car sickness- Bike sickness?- catching up to him. "Su- Blegh!"

"Get off my jacket!"

* * *

"Ryuji, you didn't see anything." They exited the metaverse in the conspicuously empty alley.

"If I did, I wouldn't believe it," he said in a daze, still looking vaguely green.

"That's the spirit." He slapped him on the back, sending him into another round of retching. He glanced at Makoto.

"...You can get him home, right?"

"I suppose that's my responsibility… Thank you, Amamiya-san."

"It's Ren now. There are some things that you can't do and not end up friends."

"I suppose. Vice versa applies then."

"Ha, that's true. See ya later. And remember, Velvet Room. Tell the blonde to give me a call. Bring Ryuji too, so he doesn't blab about anything he doesn't understand."

_I'm off to do some investigating of my own._

* * *

**AN:**

**WE HIT A THOUSAND VIEWS LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOO-**

**Incredibly sorry about taking the chapter down right after uploading on Friday, I wasn't trying to bait you guys, but it's done being beta'd now, so it's all good. Sorry about that, but it's a small price to pay for a 5k chapter. It surprised me too.**

**This chapter sucks. But, hey, I wrote it, it's to be expected. The next few chapters are going to be more metaverse centric, he's going to be doing stuff. Probably, it depends on how much sleep I get.**

**I know Persona 5 had a planned doubt mechanic or whatever, but I'm sticking to FES rules.**

**Thanks to NoRoleModelz for beta'ing this chapter, he's a better writer than I, so go check his shit out. He helped make the distorted Shujin a bit weirder.**

**Thanks to my readers for getting me to this milestone, I'm glad my shitty fanfic of a fanfic was liked enough for its many people to see it.**


	15. Chapter 15

**April 28th, 20XX**

* * *

He headed for Untouchable on Thursday afternoon. Might be some better guns in stock. And Yusuke needed one too. Did Makoto and Ryuji? Probably not yet, it'd be a waste if they didn't join. Morgana was doing fuck-all, lazing around in the Velvet Room, so he had some space in the bag. He passed an odd pair of formally dressed men in the alley on his way in.

"Hey. Whatcha want?"

"Just looking." He saw a familiar model on a rack. "Hey, is that-"

"It's a Pallet Rifle. Custom model." Iwai bit down on his lollipop and didn't turn from his magazine. "Doubt a kid like you could afford it."

Hardasses gotta watch good shows too, completely fair.

"Man… Got anything good?"

"Everything in this shop is 'good'."

"Of course. I'm looking for something like that. Sniper rifles, the like. Looking for someone else's."

"...We're still talking models, right?"

"We'd both be in trouble if we weren't. I'm thinking of a collapsible model. Maybe fit in a school bag?"

"I'll check the stock. I think we got what you're looking for. Just don't go pointin' it around at people."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

* * *

"50,000 yen!?" Ren nearly slammed his hands on the counter, but remembered he didn't want to get shot with something that wasn't just a model.

"What did you expect? Collapsible, realistic, ammunition capacity…" The gruff shopkeeper ticked off his fingers. "That don't come cheap." He shook his head and looked at the clock. "Damn kid. It's about time too." He handed Ren a paper bag. "Bring this back next time you come in. Then we can talk about some kind of discount."

"Right." He barely had time to stow away the bag before the door opened.

"Alright, so we need to ask about the?-"

"Shut up, you idiot!" The older detective smacked the rookie upside the head.

"Mnmhfff." Mumbled the younger policeman. Or something like that.

"Munehisa Iwai, we're here to investigate claims of illegal weapons being sold here." He noticed Ren standing by the counter. "Hey, aren't you that kid on probation? We let the beatdown you gave to those thugs slide, but you're pushing it." He walked up to Ren and started trying to intimidate him; Well, more like imposing on his personal space.

"Don't intimidate my customers, detective. I'll be happy to let you check the stock. All you're going to find are models and buckets of foam." He subtly jerked his head to the door. Ren nodded, and walked out of the shop. The older man with red hair called to him as he walked out.

"I've got my eye on you, kid. You better not screw up."

* * *

When he got home, safely out of the view of the public, he opened the bag.

"Oh, shit!"

He closed the bag back up. It was realistic enough, though the silver finish made him have doubts. No wonder he didn't want the thing around during an inspection.

_Wonder what the engraving meant though. What the hell was a 'SEES' anyway?_

* * *

**April 29th, 20XX**

* * *

"Ren, when are we going back in?"

"Back where?" He facepalmed at Ryuji, who had asked him in the middle of the hall. "We're not talking about that here."

"Oh. Yeah, I see whatcha mean, sorry."

"Well… do you have plans today?"

"Huh? Well, the prez needs my help moving boxes and paperwork and other things."

"So student council stuff?" The neon-blond scratched the back of his head.

"Well, she gave everyone else time off to study for midterms, saying she'd probably only need my help anyway."

"She probably figured you wouldn't study anyway."

"For real? Man… I thought I was getting better with that…"

"I'm messing with you, dude."

"Heh, yeah, I could tell, totally."

"And it'll just be the two of you?"

"Well… I guess."

"Right, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"The prez would kick your ass for saying that."

"Well, what's the point of living without a little risk?"

Like the risk he was taking by staying in one place. He felt the stares he was getting and shuddered.

_I thought I dealt with that? Makoto's distortion got fixed._

Ren asked, "Hey, do you have any problems with hitting rabid fangirls?"

"What? I'd never hit a girl!"

"Suit yourself. Later."

"Wait, what do you mean by that, dude?"

"..." Ren just kept walking down the hall, towards his classroom.

"Dude?"

* * *

He snuck into an alley after school, pretty good distance away from Shujin, pulling out the navigator.

_If the distortion related to Shujin was fixed, then why is everyone still acting the same?_

"Shujin Academy."

Bzzt.

_Son of a bitch._

"Prison?"

Bzzt.

_I fixed it!_

"Makoto Niijima."

_"Target not found."_

"What?"

"Ren?"

 _Jesus Christ-_ "Kasumi, did you hear what happened to the last girl who said my name so casually?"

She winced. "I can't believe someone would do that to Suzui. She's a nice girl."

"You know her?" _Other people have lives outside of you, asshole._

"I've run into her in the gym a few times, while I was running laps. Gotta stay in shape for gymnastics, right?" she laughed awkwardly.

"Cool. I think there's something wrong with this school." He looked sideways, up to the gleaming mass of concrete.

"It's certainly… Different from my old school."

"Same; Inaba was always a bit dull, not much to do back there."

"Right… Well, I'm heading out. Get home safely." She bowed and stiffly walked out of the alley.

He briefly felt a bit of guilt for cutting the girl off. He shook his head to stop himself from thinking, and turned his attention back to the navigator, and cleared out the three search regions. Location, distortion, and owner.

_Wait..._

He didn't need an owner for Mementos, did he? And he didn't need a location either, he just said its name.

Was there any good reason that Mementos would _only_ be tied to the underground?

"Mementos." Time froze.

_"Beginning navigation."_

* * *

The air around him grew thick with smoky fog, but only in the alley. The school was in the same state of disrepair and hostility, with the same blue-hell-like sky. All things considered, it looked even more hostile, with all that barbed wire. He saw something metallic gleaming behind the roof, but couldn't get a good look.

It felt different, somehow, from Makoto's but… It looked nearly the same.

He caught a flash in the corner of his eye. One of the building entrances nearby had lit up a Velvet blue.

* * *

"Hey, Morgana," he said, walking into the Velvet Room. The cat was in bobblehead form.

"Hey."

"There's a surface section of Mementos."

"Well, obviously; the above-ground outside the train station."

"It corresponds to Shujin. It looks like a prison."

"Wait, seriously? But Mementos is the collective cognition of the public…"

"Let's think logically about this." The shadow in the room put down his glass for a moment.

"That's a first for you."

"Shaddup, Minatos. Palaces are the distorted desires of a single person right?"

"That's about right."

"And Mementos is the collective unconsciousness of humanity?"

"To simplify, yes."

"Are those the only two destinations?"

"Those are the two that I know of. There might be others out there, but I dunno…"

"...Maybe it's the cognition of the students?"

"That could be possible… Hey! You might be onto something. Think, why is Mementos in the subway system?"

"Because a lot of people use it and spend time there."

"So could your school be like that for the same reason?"

"...That makes a lot of sense. Like Mementos, but on a much smaller scale."

"Sounds like it."

"For the sake of saying less capital letters, let's go with… Shadow nests. We'll call them that. The Mementos in the subway system is a shadow nest, but not every shadow nest is connected to that Mementos."

"...You kind of lost me."

"Maybe the cognitive realm is called Mementos as a whole, but not everything in the cognitive realm is connected."

"I guess. Wouldn't that apply to Palaces as well?"

"Hm… Lavenza, do you have a whiteboard in here?" Minatos glanced at him, snapped his fingers, and formed a clear board and expo markers. "Smartass." Ren shook his head and drew a diagram. One big box, labeled as 'cognitive realm', with two separated boxes inside it, labeled 'palace' and 'mementos'. He drew a bunch of tiny circles inside of each box.

"We'll use this to demonstrate how this works for the others. Yusuke, and Makoto if she feels like it. Ryuji too, if we can get him a Persona. Every circle is an individual palace, or a shadow nest. They're all in the same category, and can be accessed with the same methods, but aren't necessarily connected."

"And you figured all of this out in three weeks?"

"More like two and a half, but who's counting?"

A soft clapping echoed around the room. He turned to Igor, whose smile was even wider than usual.

"Congratulations, Trickster. I didn't think a mere human would discern the nature of the cognitive world so easily."

Ren just shrugged.

"It makes sense to me, but I could be wrong, and there might be even more types of cognitions out there."

"The world is full of possibilities…"

He heard a silent 'and'.

"...Remember, despite not having signed the usual contract, that the contracts you have formed with others entitle you to our services, and will continue to as long as you may need our assistance."

"Of course, Igor. Thank you." Ren inclined his head slightly. The hunched over old man chuckled lightly.

"Old man is right. Long time ago, Minato pulled a contract out when he was about to quit on him, and as much as I hate the guy, it was pretty smart." Lavenza threw a rag at him.

"Shut up, Minatos."

"I thought I knew about the metaverse…" Morgana looked down at his paws, frowning. Ren kneeled down and scrubbed him on his head.

"Hey, you're the navigator. I just put the things into categories. You know how to get around, fight without bullshit Personae- and what would I do without my catbus?"

"I'm not a- Well, I guess you're right."

"Aren't I, though."

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Magician Arcana._

"You might want to hold off on exploring the new section. Maybe bring Tantalus, since he has latent resistances against magic."

"That's probably a good idea. I need to get him kitted out anyway."

* * *

**April 30th, 20XX**

* * *

"Oh yeah, I have the thing, Iwai." He handed over the bag as soon as he got in, knowing the contents. Yusuke trailed after him, looking better, like he'd been eating well. It'll do for now.

"...Actually, hold onto it for now. Those bastards are still pokin' around…" He shook his head. "This the guy?"

"Yep. Sniper model for him. Artistic type, you know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, every now and then I get weirdos like you…" He grabbed the calculator and started punching in numbers. "For the same thing you were asking for… 45,000 yen."

"That's not much better!"

"This is a business, not a charity. If you don't like the discount, you know where the door is." Ren settled back down and sighed.

"Fine, fine, something else then; Let's start back with collapsible."

* * *

He actually managed to grab a decent deal, though he didn't let Yusuke know how much money he was spending on him. 10,000 yen was a reasonable amount to spend with the money he'd made in the Metaverse. Though, he could probably use a cash boost sometime soon. Energy drinks ain't cheap, and when you drink a few every time you study? Adds up quickly.

They entered the top layer of mementos from an alley. Yusuke seemed to be adapting, he only looked green for a moment. Shujin's shadow nest was unscouted territory, so Ren decided to train him in basic combat before then.

"What do model weapons have to do with… this?" He gestured to the entire world around them. Fair question.

"This is the cognitive realm, think about it. If the enemies think the gun is a gun, then it basically is a gun."

"Interesting." Yusuke shook out his rifle, extending the stock. It would work in normal combat as well, real handy for a small team.

"We won't go beyond the first few levels, but your Persona will grow stronger, even if you don't use it in combat."

"Very well. I shall go along with this."

* * *

"Re- Arsene, that looks very human…" He hesitated to pull the trigger on a Pixie.

"They're supposed to, but they aren't. They go back to the sea of souls when they're destroyed."

"It's not like dying for them, is it?"

"They're not really alive in the first place, but unless they remember that they aren't shadows, it's open season."

"If you say so." The pixie exploded in a shower of black goop. "I still don't think I'll get used to that."

"You will." In truth, Ren wasn't either, but you gotta do what you gotta do. "They aren't demons, as in, not sentient, but they aren't quite human."

"Demons?" Yusuke looked at him quizzically.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you about those? Yeah, I haven't met very many, but some are pretty cool. Sure, they can talk, but that's probably more because of the translator microbes, their arcana, and the connection they have to the sea of souls."

"Are you sure?"

"Nope, but it sounds plausible, from what I know."

Minatos said something like that, and he would know better than anyone, right?

"What matters is that we don't kill people. And we try not to kill anything that might be sentient."

"That seems reasonable." The catbus honked its horn.

"Are you guys going to get back in, or do you want to fight the Reaper?"

"The what?"

"He'll show up if we stick around on a floor for too long-"

Chains started rattling.

"You jinxed it- God damn it, Morgana!"

"Don't blame me!" Yelled the catbus and Ren threw Yusuke in the back and climbed in the driver's seat. "You should have remembered that talking isn't a free action-"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Not important, drive! I don't want my fur to get blood on it!"

The wheels squealed while the bus shot forward, as the Reaper rounded a corner, with its twin bolters already out.

"Bastard's not pulling any punches today, huh?" Ren rifled in his bag for his more realistic model. "Morgana, keep going, Yusuke, steer when he tells you to." He climbed out of the window onto the roof. The bus jerked around slightly, but he kept his grip until it straightened out.

"Ice wall!" A glacier formed in the space between them and the Reaper.

Gunshots rang out as the wall of ice shattered into glittering shards.

"Ice wall, Ice wall!" Coldness seeped through the subway air as the Reaper was completely hidden from his sight.

...Anddddd it shattered again. Great. Fantastic, even.

"Third time's the charm?"

...

Not even three stopped him? Come on!

"I should have figured that wouldn't work." Jack Frost disappeared while his mask reformed on his face.

"How's your SP looking?"

"Fuck if I know, this isn't a video game. There isn't some picture with bars next to it in the corner of my vision." He emptied a clip into the approaching Reaper, who didn't lose even a single drop of shadow ichor. "Yusuke, hand me that brown paper bag."

He reached into the bag and pulled out the silver model.

"Who cares what a SEES is anyway?" He pointed it at the Reaper.

The cloak stopped in mid-air. It's chains seemed to freeze the world around them.

Before it started laughing.

 **"Fool. I remember the one who used such weapons. But alas, they are not for enemies. Die."** The Reaper shot its bolters at the ceiling, raining gravel and scraps of metal. Ren slowed down to think, for once in his life.

_Reaper has fought Minato Arisato._

_Minato was a Persona-user._

_Takemi said something about evokers, guns used by Persona-users to summon._

"In that case…" Ren smirked, twirling the model around his finger, before bringing it to a stop at his temple. "Acceptance of death, wasn't it? How about this, you die instead, you son of a bitch! Persona!"

A bullet flew through his skull, splattering blood and gray matter across the subway wall.

Just kidding.

Blue glass flew from where the exit wound would have been, as the cool touch of death shot through his frontal lobe. He called out his true self's name.

"Arsene De Mort!"

But it was really the same Persona, wasn't it? Arsene appeared behind him, but only for a moment, as his usual red was replaced with a flowing dulled-black robe, and his flames burned into grayscale. His eyes were overtaken by lead-colored flames, as his demonic fire turned a sickly white.

"Is that a different Persona, Ren?" Morgana asked, as the Reaper began to rise.

"It looks different, but it feels the same." He kept the evoker at his side, unloading another clip into the Reaper.

"We can't kill it, we need to get out of here!"

"Right, forgot. Hold the bastard off, Arsene!" The snow-white demon smiled, wildly tearing chunks out of the Reaper, the walls, and anything else that got in its way. The ragged warden shrugged off the damage, continuing to shoot explosive rounds. Yusuke was good at swerving out of the way.

A bullet tore through Ren's shoulder, ripping the muscle and sinew off and throwing his arm to the side, rolling away on the tracks.

_I just bought that gun! More importantly-_

Ren howled as blood spurted from the stump on his shoulder. Morgana opened a ceiling panel, dropping him into the back seat. Instinctively, he ripped off his mask.

"FUCK! DIA! DIA! DIA!" His vision started to fade in and out. Pixie grasped his shoulder, pouring healing magic into his arm. Bone started to reach out, as muscle wrapped itself around the newly-forming structure. Yusuke grabbed his evoker, not that he could tell.

"This is how it's done? Tantalus!" He could make out a charred stick of wood summoning ice in an attempt to stop the Reaper.

"Dia skills aren't enough for this!" Morgana yelled, revving even harder. Arsene's death form worked in tandem with Tantalus, fighting back the Reaper, as Pixie tried to heal his bleeding stump-

_Two Personae at the same time- Fuck fuck FUCK this hurts!- What were those skills called?_

"Fusion sk- Agh! Skill! Voler De La Mort!" His detached arm dissolved into burning ashes that swirled towards him. They formed a shell where his arm should have been. He felt a phantom pain of the burning of skin he no longer had. He gasped for breath, fading in and out of consciousness, as they approached the escalator.

Ren blacked out as Tantalus threw the bus over the barrier.

* * *

"It took you long enough, ho." A black Jack Frost sat in a regal office, as Ren woke up opposite his desk.

"Can I help you? I just got shot, you see." He gestured to his arm, which he now had, signaling he was not awake, "So I'd like to wake up soon."

"Watch your tongue, human." Two anthropomorphic guards crossed spears across his neck.

"Stop that, this is a guest."

"I'm guessing this is that demonic plane I've heard so much about? You don't have the aura of a Persona, and I feel like I'm going to pass out." The air was like LCL, the way it clogged his airways. Sure, he could breathe, but it wasn't pleasant.

"Yee-ho. We are the Jakkai. I believe one of ours formed a contract with you?"

Ren pulled off his mask, summoning Jack Frost behind him. The black- Black Frost? It nodded.

"He's a good soldier. I hope he is serving you well."

"...Yeah, you could say that." A lot more helpful than just taking a cold shower, but why would he tell him that?

"Good to hear it. Before anything else, are you interested in demonic conquest?"

"Humans are fucked up enough, I'm not sure I want to know what you guys do down here." It wasn't that much of a stretch to assume the demonic plane would look like hell.

"The universe held a similar belief. Until he got dragged into it regardless. How do you take your Jack Daniels?" One of the guardsmen placed two glasses and a bottle on the table.

"I can barely _breathe_ anyhow, but thanks for the offer. What are the odds I get involved around here?"

"Compared to our statistics of previous variables like you, one-hundred percent." Ren sighed, exhaling through the thick air.

"Should have figured."

"That reminds me; Keep in mind that humans without Magatamas can only survive around two hours here."

"Good to know. What if I…" Ren fiddled with his drill, thinking. He abruptly tore off his mask, summoning good ol' Arsene. He stabbed the Persona, and felt his body and mind melt into the being.

 **"Will this work?"** He asked, his face being made out of flames rather than flesh. Black Frost only looked surprised for a moment, before shaking his head.

"I don't remember the king having an ability like that." Arsene just shrugged.

 **"Well, I'm not him."** He was about half-full on energy, but he'd have enough time. He didn't even feel the need to breathe.

"Back to business." The Jack took up the Gendo thinking pose. "I would like you to pledge your allegiance to the nation of Jakkai." The two guards tensed up, but stood still.

**"Why?"**

"You may not know, but the rise of the Jakkai was mainly due to the influence of the Universe. After the first war with the heavens, the other demonic nations realized the potential that humans like the king held, and began searching for their own conquerors.

**"There's one einstein for every thousand with his intelligence."**

He wasn't sure who he was stealing the quote from, but it sounded smart.

"Certainly a human way to put it, but yes. Wild card, wasn't it? It's an apt term."

 **"I can imagine."** Vague memories of Igor's words came back to him.

_"A Trickster is one whom will influence the course of history. The wild card of wild cards, they can cause the greatest change. Remember this, as you move forward, and hope you do not stumble."_

Hell of a destiny, huh?

"Think of it as a protection contract. No other nations would bother you and your people, because of the power the Jakkai hold."

**"And in return, I become your lackey."**

"It's the best outcome you could hope for."

" **Do I need to get the Shadow of the Universe on your ass? Because I think he has a thing against messing with humans."** Arsene grabbed the shaft of a spear swinging his way, and snapped it with a clawed hand. **"And this sounds like a no-win scenario for me."** Black Frost didn't move from his seat, only closing his eyes for a second to think.

"We can grant you a title and access to the armory in return for military service, should it be required."

 **"That doesn't seem like a deal in my favor."** Arsene's eyes sharpened, causing Black Frost to sigh.

"You forget who you are speaking to. I am the leader of the Jakkai. Do you really think I would call a literal wild card to my office, with only two guards?"

 **"..."** He looked around seeing strange metallic contraptions glinting on the walls and the floor beneath him.

"Regardless, at some point or another, you will have to come to a decision. You can ally with us, the fairest nation among demons, or be forced to side with someone else. Think about it, will you?" The demon waved an arm as Ren faded into reality.

* * *

His head was resting on bare concrete, as he awoke with hazy vision.

"-Arsene? Are you awake?" Morgana lightly slapped him a few times in bobblehead form.

"My arm!" He shot up, grabbing his- He pulled up the sleeve of his jacket, seeing the skin underneath. It looked scarred and cracked, like layered wood ashes. "The hell?" He flexed his fingers. They felt dry, but the pain was barely there anymore. He felt another brief wave of nausea.

_And since when do I speak French?_

"I don't know either, I've never seen a skill like that! You're lucky it didn't hit an organ, magic can't heal that kind of damage."

"Who cares! I didn't die a virgin!" Ren jumped up, laughing. "I thought I was done for sure! I swear, my heart stopped beating for a minute there!"

"Well, glad to see that you're okay." Morgana said, sarcastically shaking his head. Ren nodded, and turned to a blank-faced Yusuke, who was sitting on the rest bench, staring at the evoker in his hands.

"Hey, Tantalus."

"..."

"You did good. I don't think we would have gotten back without you." The blue-haired boy nodded, but didn't seem to be listening.

"I thought you would die."

"Ah, come on, who the hell do you think I am?"

"Your arm was torn off, why are you so calm about this?"

"Well, the worst thing that could happen is that I die, right?" _Not too much of a loss._ "You guys would have gotten out fine."

"...If you say so. I don't know what I'd do if that happened."

"Well, we can think of it as a- Learning experience, yeah. I'll try to not get shot, and if I do, I have a badass healing skill.

"Very well. I think it would be wise for us to retire for today, would it not?"

"You've got a point." He felt a dull buzzing in the back of his skull, telling him that he needed some damn sleep.

"Alright- Phantom thieves, out!"

"Shut up, Morgana."

* * *

**AN:**

**Stonks.**

**Evoker has stopped sounding like a real word to me, send help.**

**I pronounce Minatos as "Meen-a-tose", because "Min-aht-o's" sounds lame and too obviously close to Minato.**

**NoRoleModelz, thanks for beta'ing, again, everyone go read his stuff it's cool.**

**Stuff may or may not start ramping up. I'm imagining that the Shujin Mementos Arc will last about a week, so 3-4 chapters at least.**

**Review if you haven't already, it inflates my ego and it might help with story direction.**


	16. Chapter 16

**May 1st, 20XX**

* * *

On Sunday afternoon, it was time for business in the Velvet Room.

Ren didn't invite Takemi. One, because he wasn't completely sure she could be trusted, and two, he didn't want Ryuji to go 'awooga awooga'. Definitely more of the first one though.

The phantom thieves, as well as Ryuji and Makoto, sat down at one of the blackjack tables. The blond looked more confused than anything else. Makoto didn't let much of anything show, but she seemed a little anxious about her underclassmen drinking.

"Are we…allowed to be in here? How'd we even get in?"

Ren shrugged off the question. "The alcohol is imaginary, don't worry about it." Lavenza put a tray of Coke cans on the table, before walking back behind the bar.

_Talk about a jack and coke, yeah?_

He continued, taking a sip, "You don't have a contract yet, you wouldn't be able to find this place on your own."

"Contract?" Ryuji looked like he didn't quite get it.

"It's how you get your Persona, and no, it's not a legal thing."

"Many times in the past, the contract was not written physically at all." Lavenza said, from across the room.

"...Alright, how do I get one?" Ren pulled Iwai's evoker out of his bag and pointed it right at Ryuji— " _Hey, wait!_ "

He clicked the trigger, only… No response.

"A-Amamiya-san," Makoto's eyes had grown wide, "what were you trying to _do_?"

"The hell?" He shook his head and pointed it at his jugular.

_BLAM_

Arsene De Mort appeared, lounging at the bar.

Ryuji shot forward in his seat with a dropped jaw.

He pointed the Evoker at Yusuke.

_BLAM_

Tantalus appeared, sitting next to Arsene.

"Okay, so that works." He itched his forehead with the barrel of the gun before putting it back in his bag.

"The hell is that!?"

"It's called an Evoker. It summons Personae from the user's concept of death. I guess you don't have the, uh, potential, I think it's called."

"Would it work for me?" Makoto asked. He clicked it in her general direction, but no luck.

"Your Persona didn't form the same way as Yusuke's. Oh, I should introduce him. Yusuke Kitagawa, apprentice of Madarame. Has an icy stick for a Persona."

"A pleasure." Yusuke nodded at the president.

"The pleasure is mine, Kitagawa-san. I am Makoto Niijjima, and my assistant's name is Ryuji Sakamoto."

"Hey, we're all friends here," Ren kicked back with a can, looking between them lazily.

"Right…" Ryuji cleared his throat, "Why does the- Evoker, wasn't it? Why does it work for you, if it won't for me?"

"Dunno. Might be because I can use multiple Personae."

"Any chance you can lend me one?"

"Doesn't work like that, Ryuji."

"Man… How do I get mine?"

"From what I know," Ren ticked off his fingers, "Acceptance of death, summoned with an evoker, facing your shadow, summoned with a card, and will of rebellion, summoned with a mask."

Makoto interjected, "A shadow? You mean that thing that looked like me?"

"It was you, don't forget. You didn't accept it, necessarily, but you rebelled against it. That's what it looked like to me, at least. Yusuke got his by talking to his shadow, but he needs an Evoker."

Makoto narrowed her eyes. "...This all sounds like pseudoscience... But if that's how it is…"

_Pseudoscience? That reminds me..._

"Oh, demons are real too."

"They're _what_?" That got the two's attention, though Yusuke didn't even blink.

"They've got a whole demon world. They don't come to this side very often, don't worry about it."

"Often? As in, they still can?"

Ren shrugged. "I dunno. They give me their power as Personae sometimes, so it's helpful occasionally."

"Does that mean there's a demon called Johanna?"

"Probably not. Initial Personae are formed from the essence of the user, not any demon. The ones I have, besides Arsene, have demon juice in them, but since Arsene was my first, he doesn't."

"Interesting."

Ryuji leaned in, and seemed to be thinking for the first time. "...I gotta get me one of those- I just need to find a shadow-me, right?"

"That seems like that's how it works. What times can we organize to work?"

"You say 'work' like we're some kind of organization."

"Well, if we're gonna find out what the hell's wrong with the school, we sure are. Phantom Thieves, right?"

Makoto closed her eyes and nodded. "...That does have a nice ring to it."

Morgana, in cat form, bounded onto the table, and started meowing.

"Oh, this is my cat. I know he just said some dumb shit like 'Phantom Thieves, out!', but he can speak Japanese. He's our navigator."

"He's what?"

Apparently, even while knowing there were demons you can summon with your brain, they were still surprised by the idea of a talking cat.

"He also turns into a bus."

"HE WHAT?"

_This could take longer than expected._

* * *

**May 2nd, 20XX**

* * *

Makoto couldn't make it the next day. There was an important faculty meeting, and though not required to attend, she wanted to impress upon the teachers that she was responsible as a president.

Can't blame her. Probably needed a bit to completely understand the Metaverse.

So no phantom thieving to be had at Shujin Academy. Lame.

Oh hey, text from Ann.

"Showed the guys ur picture, they wanna see ur stuff. Come check out the shoot :)"

That sounded vaguely homerotic. Nothing to be worried about, a little homeroticism never hurt anyone- Oh, she was probably talking about modeling.

_Ha! GAYYYYYYY-_

She sent an address, somewhere in… _Isn't that a red-light district?_

Whatever, as long as he didn't get robbed. Or anything else.

* * *

He got there an hour later, still not used to finding new places in the subway. He certainly built up an appetite from wandering around. Ann liked pastries, he could probably score some off of her.

She was standing off to the side with a water bottle, looking about the same as she did normally. Maybe he was desensitized to hot women, who knows.

"Hey, Ann." he tried to walk up to her, but was blocked by a guy with a camera. Typical cameraman look, you know the one.

"Don't bother the models while they're workin', kid."

"He's with me."

"Ah. Sorry about that, Takamaki-san." He bowed and turned back to fine-tuning his camera. It was kind of funny, considering the age difference. Not the kind that makes you laugh, more like the kind you see and think, 'ha', in all lower-case and with flat punctuation.

"The producers are over here." She waved him over to a cluster of business people, gathered around a laptop.

They weren't impressed, obviously. Ren would have been an idiot to expect otherwise.

A cheerful reporter in the back spoke up, saying something about a vibe he gave off. There were some murmurs of agreement.

Ren's face blanked.

Because of course they would, they shoved him into a changing room and gave him a list.

_Goddammit, Ann. And that reporter too. Those Moon Arcana, you can't mess with 'em._

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was a haze of stuffy and itchy clothes, posing like statues, and bright flashes.

He leaned against a wall, damn near collapsing, as someone handed him a water bottle.

"Whose idea was it, to model winter clothes, in the middle of spring?" He panted out, as soon as he gulped the whole thing down

"Sorry about that. Delays and such," spoke an unfamiliar voice. He looked up to see that reporter from earlier. "Maya Amano, _Coolest_ magazine. It's nice to meet you."

Ren shook her hand. "Ren Amamiya, uh, unemployed high school student." He still had Pixie on deck, because she seemed to like Ann. "Sorry to say, I don't read much gossip these days. A lot more stuff to do in the city."

She laughed off the slight against her magazine. "I thought I heard Takamaki say something about a country boy."

"I didn't choose the hick life, the hick life chose me," he joked, trying to roll off any resentment he had for his old town.

"So, what's a country bumpkin doing out here?"

"Well, you know, school, studying, making friends…" He trailed off. "Is this an interview?" He switched to Succubus. Hey, it was a fusion accident, don't blame him! Arcana bonuses and all that.

She slightly twitched before answering, "...Not if you don't want it to be. Sorry, you just reminded me of some friends of mine."

"How so?"

"Oh well, you know, appearance, attitude, switching… You know what, I think one of the producers is calling me." She walked away while tuning her camera.

He noticed her quickly tap something into her cell phone. "Later." Weirdo.

* * *

_"Hey! I met a kid that switched his arcana during a shoot."_

_"You're shitting me."_

_"Is that so surprising?"_

_"It's been a while since someone like him showed up."_

_"How many years ago was that? Like, half a decade, right?"_

_"Little longer than that, come on. What was his name?"_

_"It was Ren Mamamiya, something or other. Wasn't recording, sorry."_

_"Sounds weird, but I'll check in with the others. Keep an eye on him, see if we need to buckle in for another year like that one."_

_"You text like someone half your age."_

_"And you don't, miss happy go lucky?"_

* * *

"I gotta say, Ren, I didn't think you'd be into older women."

"You know what they say, women age like wine."

"..."

He switched back to Pixie. Succubus was whispering things in his mind that he did _not_ need to be thinking about in public.

"I was _joking_. It's something my grandpa used to say."

"Sure, sure, make excuses. And while you think of more, I'm going to go get some pastries. Wanna come with?"

_Hell yeah!_

"Ah, yeah, sure."

* * *

**May 3rd, 20XX**

* * *

After bringing everyone into the metaverse, and letting them recover, it took Ren some time to explain everything about the cognitive world and Mementos and Palaces and the like. Makoto was able to wrap it around her head pretty easily. Ryuji needed simple terms, and even simpler terms than that, but he eventually got the gist.

"We have one week to destroy the shadow nest that leeches off of Shujin Academy," said Ren, boldly, looking at his three teammates. And the cat.

Ryuji raised his hand from the back. "Why do we only have a week?"

"Because mid-terms are starting up next week, and if I get a bad grade, it might violate my probation."

"Probation?"

"Didn't I tell you that I have a record, Tantalus?"

He shook his head. "I was simply curious, it does not matter either way."

"Good to hear it." Ren turned around, looking at the chained-up gates to the distortion. He shielded his eyes from the neon sky's light, which felt like buzzing in his ears to look at. "We're scouting out today, getting a view of the place."

Morgana pulled out a comically large bat and tossed it to Ryuji, who managed to grab it and hold it up with only one hand.

"I'm not even going to ask where you got that."

"It's a skill only professionals have, Arsene." snarked Morgana.

Makoto asked, "What do those names mean?"

"We need to go by codenames, since we're in the cognitive realm. You never know the effect shouting your real names in someone's head might have."

"I suppose that makes sense. Those are the names of your Personae, correct? I think Johanna will be fine by me."

"Hey guys, what about me?" Ryuji piped up, practicing swinging his bat into the air.

"..."

"..."

"Thug," said Morgana suddenly.

"Lame…"

"Blondie."

"Even lamer."

"Monkey."

"You trying to start something, cat?"

"The names are just temporary. We'll call you… Shizuo."

"You watch too much TV, dude."

Ren scoffed and tossed him a pair of shitty plastic shades. They were old cosplay ware; The fashion club let him take them with the long-coat. A souvenir from the bartender costume, he supposed.

"Seriously, dude?"

"Suck it up. We'll develop a strategy after seeing what kind of shadows we're fighting." Everyone nodded. "Morgana, stick with Ryuji in the back and watch the flank." Ren handed Yusuke the evoker.

Morgana waved his falchion in the air before making a declaration. "Phantom Thieves, move out!"

"Shut up, Morgana."

* * *

Cognitive Shujin was just as messed up as before. Dark and damp, the halls had somehow developed an even deeper and stronger scent of lead, and for as little light as the barred windows had allowed in their previous excursion, somehow even less light was peering through now. Everything was quiet, so quiet that not even the sound of the wind passed through the world; seemed that the Thieves' only ambiance were the sounds of their shoes tapping against the floor.

They ran into a bizarro version of Ushimaru, one with mottled gray skin like that of a drowned corpse, except it was still walking around. Yusuke raised his rifle, before Ren gestured for him to stop. The distorted teacher shambled up to them with dead gray eyes, and turned to Ren and Makoto.

It nodded at them and kept walking, muttering something about bag checks and respect and a bunch of other words that couldn't be made out through the hoarseness of his voice.

"That must be how the students see him. Just some old dead fossil." He remarked, watching the thing's back turn around a corner. "Morgana, would you say that was a cognition or a shadow?"

"It didn't have golden eyes, did it?"

"Is that a rule with them? Alright." He tried to peer into the courtyard, but the window was so blocked with nailed-on wooden two-by-fours, he could barely even see the dying grass.

* * *

"No! It's not possible!" Screamed a familiar cognition, before melting into shadowy goop via nuclear blast.

Ryuji must have thought it was awesome. "Holy shit, you have a Godzilla bike!"

"It's a perk."

Makoto wiped some goop off her cheek, "Those cognitions don't have any specific weaknesses, do they?"

Morgana piped up, rhetorically asking, "Do humans?"

Ren tapped his chin, thinking. "Well… I guess we're weak to everything if we don't have a Persona."

"Right. Personae grant passive strengths without being summoned."

"Good to know. Wait, Ryuji kept up with me when I was fighting those thugs... When he didn't have a Persona..."

Ryuji just shrugged it off. "I guess."

"Badass."

He rubbed the back of his head, "Thanks."

* * *

Ms. Chouno stiffly walked down the hall like a mannequin.

Literally, like a mannequin. Her skin looked like actual plastic, and the dusty make-up heavily contrasted her reflective skin. Her hair stayed in one place like a stuck-on wig.

It just looked... Artificial... And sad.

She ignored them and kept walking down the hall. Ren could see shining metal joints in the back of her legs and arms as she walked past.

"I guess she does wear a lot of make-up." Ryuji was watching her too, but looking further downwards than her face.

Makoto thwapped him with a paper fan. God knows where she got it. "Watch it."

"I was- I mean, uh, yes ma'am."

Ren snorted. "Ryu- Shizuo is probably more subtle about it, imagine what everyone else thinks."

She slapped him too.

"I believe I understand. The body is simply a canvas that its owners print their own art upon."

Makoto looked like she was about to hit Yusuke, but hesitated, realizing he probably wasn't being a pervert intentionally.

He continued, "That being said, even those unknowledgeable in the arts can appreciate-"

She slapped him swiftly. She eyed Morgana, almost daring him to say something. The cat was about to open his mouth, but refrained, averting his eyes to inspect his falchion.

* * *

As they were climbing the stairs, they saw something rather strange in the hallway. A hulking mass of yellow fur and leathery skin, like a gorilla, but hunched over on only two legs, like it was defying gravity. In front of it… A robotic version of Makoto with chrome silvery skin and red eyes was dragging it down the hallway by a leash.

"Beep boop," he whispered to himself. Ren pushed the rest of the thieves behind the corner, waiting for the approach.

The robot scanned the hallway, with red lights that flowed across the floors. It landed on the mottled Ushimaru, who had suddenly appeared at the other end, and cut off. She walked straight past them, neither noticing the crowd in the stairwell and walked straight up to the teacher.

The gorilla moved to the side, as the robot lay prostrate in front of the teacher, like a prayer form, almost. The cognitive Ushimaru muttered something and jerked his arm, like a motion to wave them off. It staggered past the stairwell, continuing on some random route. The two cognitions resumed their path and walked around the corner, leaving an empty hallway.

Once it was clear, Makoto spoke up, sounding disappointed. "Me…"

"What was that thing next to you? There's no way that was human."

Ren chose to keep his thoughts to himself on that one.

"Isn't it obvi-"

He bopped Morgana on the head, keeping him quiet. He didn't want Ryuji to do anything drastic.

They stepped into the hallway, waved up by Ren, who took up the back, reversing formation.

His arms were pinned to his sides, as a furry hand wrapped around his torso and threw him into a wall. His shoulder blades turned bricks into dust, likely breaking some of his bones, as he was embedded in the wall.

" _Ow_."

The monster ripped him out, dislocating his arm, and throwing him further down the hallway. It was blown back by a nuclear blast, and had its legs frozen by a growing glacier.

Its blackened skin sloughed off as it broke free of the ice, kicking an ice block the size of a car at them. The cognitive Makoto was nowhere to be seen.

"What will it take to kill this thing?" Ren jumped up, snapping his shoulder back into place and wincing. Dia was already healing his bones, and he could still walk. _And that was my good arm!_

"Intruders…" The cognitive… Thing mumbled. "Prez-e-dent says no intruders…"

"The hell?" Ryuji guarded with his bat, as the group was backing down the hallway. "What's this bastard mumbling about?"

The monster reared back, slamming into Ryuji. Makoto managed to grab him, riding Johanna, leaving only shattered floor tiles.

"Do you really not get it, you monkey?" The cat yowled, while slicing thin cuts along its arms with his sword. Not that it noticed.

"Shut up, Morgana, you'll make it worse!" Ren yelled over him.

"Monkey?" Ryuji turned back to the monster, lowering his guard for a second.

A second too long. Without hesitation, it punched him, sending him flying past everyone else, and into the end of the hallway.

"Everyone, back up, focus on holding it back!" He jumped back, summoning Pixie to check on Ryuji.

It was definitely… Not a pretty sight. The hall end had a window, covered in rebar. Sharp, outcropping rebar. His clothes were the only thing holding him up, streaking blood onto the floor. Ren lifted him and started healing, laying him across the ground. Looked like he knocked his head pretty bad;

He heard the monster roar, and glancing at it, saw a glacier forming around it's head, throwing it off balance. It punched itself in the face, trying to smash the ice.

That gave Ren an idea.

"Keep that up, Tantalus! Johanna, aim for the floor in front of it!" She looked at him strangely, but must've wisened up because she nodded.

The floor blackened as the monster stumbled around, shaking the walls with every movement. Ice kept forming, even as it tried to free it's head. It tripped forward, falling onto the vaporizing tiles. It broke through the floor, falling below, landing with a large thunk.

"..."

"..."

Ren didn't hear it stir. "Everyone alright?"

Although very drained, everyone nodded.

"Yusuke, evoker."

He tossed it to him.

Ren snatched it out of the air, placing it at his heart. "Arsene. Voler de la Mort." Arsene's death form appeared next to pixie. The blood on the tiles dried up and turned into ashes. Ren nearly passed out from the drain, but managed to keep himself upright. The ashes flowed into Ryuji's clothes, stopping the bleeding.

"...I think we ought to head back." He lifted Ryuji around his shoulders as the gashes on his back began healing.

They filed out of the hall, gingerly avoiding the gaping hole in the floor, seeing the melting black goop pile on the level below. They made the choice to go out the other stairwell.

* * *

Back in the Velvet Room. Makoto seemed distant, keeping her fingers tented and staring a thousand miles ahead. Yusuke formed a rectangle with his fingers, seemingly finding inspiration in the sight of Lavenza working the drinks.

Ren said suddenly, "Ryuji, we're not bringing you back in."

"What? I can definitely fight!" He sprung up, though wincing at the sudden movement.

Ren pushed him back into his seat, "You don't have the passive resistances of a Persona. You're lucky none of that rebar pierced far enough to damage your organs."

"Well I'm _fine_ , ain't I?"

"That's not the point. You're a liability, to yourself and the rest of the team. I can't stop to heal you every time you get hit or stabbed or shot."

"But I need to help, Shujin is F'ed up, dude! Can't I do something about that?"

"No."

Ryuji sunk back in his seat, drinking from a can.

"Makoto, do you have a good idea of what you're getting into?"

The president took a few moments to respond. "It's what must be done. I can't let the student body fall any further into it's degeneration."

Ren sighed, "Good to know. I'll call everyone together next time we go in."

* * *

**AN:**

**Early update, I won't have access to the internet over the weekend.**

**Who could this mysterious woman we have never heard of be talking to? Find out next... Actually, give that a few months. Maybe like, four weeks. I'll try to include more days each update.**

**I'm imagining the way that nuclear skills work is by producing a sealed sphere of nuclear energy, allowing the light to escape, but not the radiation. It can damage whatever it's touching directly, but not anything outside direct contact. Cuz y'know, nukes can melt shit from a large distance, even with a low kiloton yield.**

**NoRoleModelz is on the king shit as always, making the writing better, cool stuff, cool guy, check his stuff out.**


	17. Chapter 17

**May 4th, 20XX**

* * *

_Star Wars day, hell yeah._

Fine, not important to anyone but him. Sure, he brought his old shitty lightsaber to school, but he was a loser, that was to be expected.

Ren noticed an odd pattern in the behavior of the student population. They'd flow like a river through the halls, never stopping to even think. The analog to the spot they fought the neon gorilla in the metaverse was strangely free of footprints like they were scared to step onto it. They gave a wide berth to anyone just standing in the hall, not even looking up or noticing them. The newspaper club girl (who swore she didn't have a crush on Mishima-san, of course not), Ryuji (when he was loitering outside the classroom), and just about anyone else who wasn't getting with the program. Speaking of…

He noticed Haru—was that her name?— talking to someone with a dirty apron in the hall. She walked up to the rooftop, and he noticed some of the students glaring at her for getting in their way.

It was slightly concerning, so he followed her up.

She dropped her bag on a desk, and instead of tending to the plants like usual, pulled out a red plastic laser sword and turned to an old kendo dummy in the corner.

"Sick," said Ren, as he pulled his green lightsaber out of his bag.

Haru jumped, and hid the toy behind her back.

"A-Amamiya-san, hello." She seemed determined to look anywhere but his face.

"Hey, I'm not judging," he vaguely gestured with his sword, swinging it lightly.

"...My father has always had a penchant for the franchise, but he's very busy, and we haven't had a match in a long time."

Ren shrugged, "I've just had this thing around forever, but my grandfather hasn't wanted to cross swords since I started beating him."

Haru giggled. "I just thought I'd practice on my own, my mother and I used to have a small tradition, but…" She looked sad for a moment, but shook it off and smiled again.

"I'll practice with you. Best day to do it, right?"

"That sounds like fun!"

* * *

"It's over, Okumura-san! I have the high ground!" He spun his lightsaber around, holding a defensive position on the roof of the stairwell.

She looked up, lightly glaring. "You underestimate my power," said the pink-clad girl in a cute attempt to deepen her voice. She spun her own lightsaber and backed away for the run-up.

"Don't try it…!"

Haru ran up, climbing up the wall with one hand, jumping from a desk, and slashing at his legs with the other. She pushed him back, to the ledge, locking blades.

He leaned in, trying to push her back. " _You were the chosen one_! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, _not join them_! Bring balance to the force, _not leave it in darkness_!"

She stumbled back, spinning her blade.

Plastic klacked against plastic as they danced on the rooftop.

Inevitably, Haru took a wrong step back, tripping over the roof's edge.

Ren barely caught her in time, wrapping an arm around her waist, keeping her from falling. They locked eyes for a moment, precariously leaning over the edge, before he pulled them both back.

She broke out into a smile, " _I HATE YOUUU_ —oh, I can't do this anymore, it's too silly." She giggled, straightening up, and smoothing out her skirt.

"This was fun." He hopped off the roof, right in front of Ryuji, who had just walked up the stairs.

"...Prez was looking for you." He noticed the blade in Ren's hands.

"Hello there." He spun the saber, widely gesturing to the blond.

Ryuji sighed and reached into his bag, whipping out a blue lightsaber. "General Kenobi."

* * *

"What on Earth are you doing?" Makoto walked into the three-way duel between Darth Haru and the two Jedi-impersonators.

Ren and Ryuji froze, hiding their blades behind their backs.

"It was Ryuji's idea."

"Dude!"

Niijima just shook her head. "...Never mind. We have work to do."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Ren regretfully walked down the stairs, followed by the president.

Ryuji and Haru just glanced at each other, looking like they were about to resume their duel, but decided against it.

* * *

"Why are we here?" Yusuke asked.

"I think, if we're going to ever figure out the source of the distortion, we'll need something of a different approach," says Makoto. "We've already tried the hallways, the inner workings of the school itself. But…I have a particular feeling about this place."

The three of them, plus Morgana, stood in front of the cognitive gymnasium's entrance. Luckily there'd been no class today because the current gym teacher had some family issues to attend to.

Perfect opportunity for a heist.

Ren remembered a conversation he'd had with Ann and Shiho, way back when. "Does this have something to do with that… _Kamoshida_ person?"

Makoto folded her arms, eyes flashing with disgust, "Yes."

Smart on her. But goddamn, she looked like she hated being alive. "You ready to do this?"

She didn't even look back at him, kept her eyes focused on the gym, "Yes."

And off they went.

The lock to the gym was rather easily broken. It was strange that it had a lock in the first place, considering it was still in use by the students.

Red. Splotches of it. All over the floors and walls.

"The hell?" Ren stepped in, looking around the room at battered cognitions in sports uniforms.

Makoto kneeled over and covered her mouth. It looked like tears were gathering in the corners of her masked eyes.

Ren knelt down to her level, "H-hey…"

Seething, she tore her eyes up and glared back at him, "You've heard about the Kamoshida incident. How much about it do you know?"

"Shiho mentioned it offhandedly a while ago, but…I wouldn't say I knew that much. She said he died or something."

Yusuke didn't seem to be listening, trying to capture the scene with his fingers.

"That's certainly a part of it," she sadly looked around at the moaning cognitions on the ground. "He was in charge of the volleyball team and… he did terrible things, completely unbefitting of a teacher."

"Beat the students, for example."

"Yes… and worse. I still consider that situation my worst failing with the student population to this day," she sighed. "I suppose that was why I was so harsh on you when you first arrived."

All of them had a little moment of silence, let the air settle. Makoto could've stayed stewing in that self-directed anger for an hour.

Ren saw to it she didn't. "We should keep moving."

She breathed, "Yes."

* * *

"Okay, you stupid bastard…the hell do you do now?" He said to himself.

Moments after the thieves had made another foray into the Palace, Ryuji Sakamoto had gone to the usual alleyway, by himself, and pulled up the app that had appeared on his phone. It already had the travel history, likely because it was pulled along when Ren brought him there.

He had only shuddered briefly as the world melted into the cognitive hellscape, and the school became only slightly more dystopian.

He saw receding ripples on the ground, and remembering the water he'd kicked up while visiting, decided to follow along on his own.

He'd have told Makoto to tell his mother he loved her, and that he was sorry for being an idiot of a son, who was nothing but a burden on her and would only pile more things on her shoulders with his every waking hour.

But Makoto wasn't there.

* * *

"So how did he die?" asked Ren as he climbed a stairwell.

"My sister prosecuted his estate, but I don't know very much. They said his body was discovered in winter with burn marks, frostbite in some places, and that it was slashed, stabbed, and hit with blunt weapons all over his body, with certain…appendages missing. They suspected torture."

"Vengeful student?"

"That was their best guess, but considering the wide range of victims… They couldn't pin down a single suspect."

"Damn."

"Why do you say that?"

"It may seem ironic, but I do prefer that people be brought to justice alive rather than dead."

"What would you have done?" She seemed legitimately curious like she'd thought about the subject herself.

"I really dunno. I would have tried to gather evidence, maybe change his heart if I had access to it."

He nearly opened the door to where the gym faculty office should have been, before being stopped by Makoto.

"I wouldn't. The reports said that Kamoshida used that room as a… Base of operations."

She sounded ashamed with every word she said.

"We're here to investigate the distortion of Shujin Academy. No matter what, even if it hurts me to look at, I need to fix this place." He tightened his grip on the handle.

Makoto's breath hitched and she winced because she knew she was about to see something she would never be able to stomach, but like always, in the end she understood. "If- If that's what you find is the best course of action, Arsene."

The door slammed open, but not because of any force he had put on it.

A naked stone gargoyle ducked under the door and out of the room, with pink eyes and a very human haircut. Even a rusty iron crown. His body had shown signs of prior muscle, strength and youth, but now it was emaciated to the point where the flesh clung to the bone. Rather than vigorous, reddish-pink skin it bore pale grey— necrosis wreaked havoc upon the gargoyle's joints and nether regions. His four bony arms were as long as tree branches; on his hands were six-foot long fingers with three-foot long nails that could easily pierce through steel.

Ren stepped back, trying to size up the thing with a head that scraped the ceiling.

" _ **The King's throne is everlasting, chosen by the Lord God Himself. Even in death, I remain in the hearts and the minds of my most loyal subjects."**_

Makoto's eyes widened as it turned on her and leered at her, flexing its hands. She whispered, " _Kamoshida…_?"

" _ **Heathens who invade the sanctity of my beloved castle. Thou shalt not proceed further, nor disrupt this tranquility with thy filthy rebellion. Forever I curse you in name. Forever I bless you in death. Thy salvation shalt be found in my satisfaction. So YOU BETTER HOLD STILL AND TAKE IT!"**_

Before it could take a lunge forward, Ren stabbed as hard as he could into its leg. His knife glanced off, chipping more of the blade than the rock.

The cognition glared at him out of the corners of its eyes, before grabbing him with its incredibly long arms and throwing him down the hallway into the others.

Luckily, Ren had learned from the last time, twisting in mid-air, shifting into his Persona with Arsene's wings wrapping around him. He landed on two feet, right in front of Makoto.

"Why is there a dead man inside of your school's unconscious?" Yusuke pondered.

"Fight now, talk later!" Ren tried a curse spell on the legs, but the decay only rippled across the surface of the stone, not even damaging it.

It started actually moving towards them, imposing its enormous form over all of them. It whipped out with a kick, sending Morgana skittering on his claws.

He felt his body kick into overdrive, green lights seeping out of the ground below him. He turned to give a thumbs up to Yusuke.

"You know, it's about time I use this drill the way it's supposed to." He clicked on the wheel, and stabbed it into the cognition. It scratched along the surface, leaving a trail in the literally-chiseled abs.

Fun fact, drills do not work on non-perpendicular surfaces. And Ren Amamiya does not know how to throw a straight punch.

He was slammed into the ground before he knew it, cracking the tiles.

"Fuck."

He grabbed his bleeding, broken nose, before being kicked into the ground again and again and again and again and-

Yusuke froze the cognition's legs in place, giving Makoto enough time to summon Johanna, grab him, and pull him away.

Or at least, it should have.

* * *

Ryuji walked into the gym, after following the trail. He stumbled, seeing all of the bloodstains covering the walls.

Suddenly flashes of _him_ barrelled into his brain, laughing and sneering and looking down on everyone with some stupid grin on his face. He was tall, tall enough to cast a shadow upon him like a giant to an ant—and all Kamoshida had ever needed to do to make him stay down was a single stomp down on his knee— _Who the hell do you think you're speaking to?_ A voice not his own blared into his mind, _Who is it you think you see?_

He managed to grab his leg hard enough to stop the quaking, while he ground his teeth. His eyes flashed yellow for a moment, before he heard multiple voices and horrible noises from up the stairs, in a certain room he knew all too well—

"Goddamn _stairs_ …!"

Ryuji charged up the stairway with a slight limp, even if his leg was never broken, some of the ligaments had been messed up, he could manage, he _had_ to manage, because if he didn't it'd be just like it was then—

—and by the time he got up to the floor of the bloodshed he couldn't bear to turn around the corner, he was scared and he was freaking out but he didn't wanna be completely effin' pointless _yet again,_ and once he gained the courage to run out and see the carnage.

One of the voices struck him, cut him far deeper than any others.

It spoke with the words of a dead man.

Ryuji turned the corner and saw a stone monster choking Makoto in the air with its _tongue,_ while pressing Ren further into the floor.

His eyes flashed golden, as a blue mist coalesced around him.

* * *

_Again and again and again and again and there goes my tongue and again and again and again and that was a few ribs and again and—_

Ryuji flew out of nowhere and slugged the gargoyle with one damn rusty anchor.

It flew back into the wall, stunned.

He pulled Makoto onto Captain Kidd, before realizing Ren might have a spine injury. He looked back to the monster, who was pulling itself out of the foot-deep hole in the wall.

He hit it with the anchor again.

Yusuke hit him with a speed buff, while he and Morgana finally got to Ren, checking up on him. Morgana tried to slip some medicine into his mouth, but didn't want to move his head.

Ryuji was pummeling the monster, fueled by more than just protective instinct. It was the rage against Suguru Kamoshida, his regret at not being strong enough before, and the pain he felt every time he took the wrong step. Stones and chips flaked off like chalk, as he kept slamming his anchor like a heavy club. His Persona barely did him any good besides giving him the strength he needed in that moment.

Yusuke pulled out his evoker and shot Ren in the curve of his neck. Arsene De La Mort appeared, looking disappointed at his user's state.

"You have the power to save him, don't you?" Yusuke nearly pleaded, seeing the blood soaking onto the tiles and covering Ren's skull.

The Persona tapped its chin for a moment before shrugging and grabbing Ren's head with a clawed hand. But instead of stabbing, it phased right through and jerked. Pixie appeared, looking alarmed at her boss's state.

"Whoa, that's not good." The redhead flitted around, assessing the body, and glancing at the blond's rampage. She tapped Arsene's death form, before channeling dark healing energy into Ren's body.

Ashes swirled up from the ground, before funneling themselves back into the same place as before.

Ren shakily pushed himself up as the two Personae disappeared, with a blank look in his eyes.

" _ **YOU BITCH, YOU EFFIN' DEAD BITCH, WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU SEE NOW, HUH!?"**_

Ryuji kept swinging. The cognition was barely anything more than a modern art statue, with its jutting angles and odd tensegrity. It couldn't even move, for god's sake.

Makoto had never ever seen him this way before. "R-Ryuji…!"

He kept swinging.

" _ **TELL ME, KAMOSHIDA! TELL ME WHAT YOU GODDAMN SEE! TELL ME WHAT IT'S LIKE IN HELL SO I CAN GO THERE AND MAKE IT A THOUSAND TIMES WORSE—!"**_

A gentle hand landed on his shoulder. He turned with a feral glare.

Makoto looked at him with a soft look, patting his back. "It's done."

"It's not done until _I say it's done_!" He lifted the anchor again, intent on finally breaking the damn thing in half, tears welling up in his eyes. "It'll never be done…!"

"It's not real, Ryuji. I know what he did, but you need to stop."

The blond hesitated, before dropping his weapon and leaning into the wall. The cognition crumbled anyway, scattering like dust.

"I still see him sometimes…," Ryuji hissed. "I still feel what he did, every goddamn day."

"He's dead. He's gone. He can't hurt anyone anymore." She placed a hand on his shoulder again.

A sob pierced through the choked silence of the distorted hallway.

She wrapped her arms around him as he clutched for something to support him.

Ryuji Sakamoto cried that day, for the first time in years.

* * *

Ren clutched his head in the Velvet Room, letting the monotonous sound of Lavenza working behind the bar and the performer's music soothe his mind.

Makoto decided to escort Ryuji home, because he looked and felt horrible and was just plain tired. Yusuke, seeing as how today's expedition went completely pear-shaped despite the new help, followed suit soon after. He didn't look as affected as the rest of them, but that just might have been his mind filtering it out.

Lavenza poured him a cool glass of water before sitting next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Is everything alright, Trickster? It's my duty to care for your needs."

He managed a nod, before taking a tiny sip from the cup. He didn't notice her look of concern. He choked out harshly, "I'm—I'm not _strong_ enough, Lavenza."

"Would you like to fuse your Personae?" She lightly placed a menu on the counter.

He looked at it for a second before shaking his head.

"I see."

"I just—I nearly—I could've—"

"Would you like to 'get some fresh air' as they say?"

"...Yeah. I think- That would be nice." He slowly exhaled, before getting off his barstool.

* * *

She sat down next to him on a bench in Inokashira Park.

The cool night air flowed around his body like a gentle breeze, settling his nerves. He leaned back and breathed it all in.

"What ails you, Trickster?"

"I… I almost _died_ , Lavenza. If Yusuke wasn't there, I would have, and if Ryuji wasn't there, so would have everyone else," he said blankly with tired eyes.

"Those are the risks, are they not?"

"I know, but… My perspective is out of whack right now, it feels like my head is going to explode." He hesitated for a second. "The Metaverse, exams, my friends, you, I just—" His voice softened, "I don't know if I can take it all."

"I believe I know what you need. A 'night on the town', as my sister once said it was called. It's an activity that allows the participants to relax and—"

Ren interrupted her with light laughter. "I know what a night on the town is, Lavenza…"

"Then?"

 _What the hell, why not._ "Sure. Let's go."

* * *

Ren wanted to be a little further away from the school, far enough that he'd be able to push it all to the back of his mind.

By the time he realized how far they'd gone, he and Lavenza were already walking around in Shibuya's underground mall.

Tons of shops lit up all over the place. People his age, not constantly plagued by thoughts of almost dying to giant monsters, actually happy and ignorant, and spending all their shit on food and accessories and trinkets.

Took his mind off the angst for just a little bit.

"—I believe we need proper attire first, do we not?" Lavenza tugged on his arm as they passed a second-hand clothing shop.

He checked his wallet, and seeing all the money dropped from the cognitive gym coach, shrugged, and walked her inside.

He probably needed the new clothes anyway. Well, maybe stretching the definition of 'new'.

* * *

Ren considered buying one of those UA tracksuits, but he didn't think that would be proper date attire.

 _Since when was this a date?_ Said a little voice in his head.

 _Are you some kind of dumbass?_ Said the other.

His head was still scrambled. Literally, quite possibly.

Eventually, he found a red blazer, gray button-up, black suit pants, old loafers, and an antique belt.

All under ten thousand yen. Crazy what you can find for cheap in some places.

He put his old clothes in a spare clothes bag and walked out of the changing room.

Lavenza would probably attract attention no matter what she wore, but she had changed too, and _hot damn—_

Same hair clip, but she had a Velvet blue sundress, black leggings, and matching shoes. She kept the usual gloves, which he could now see only reached to her elbows.

"Trickster." She pinched the edges of her dress and bowed slightly.

His mind blanked. Maybe it was the absurdity of seeing her in normal clothes. Or maybe just the fact he was a teenage boy, and—

_Shut up, me._

"You look… Yeah. Ready to go?" He tugged the collar of his shirt, suddenly feeling a bit red.

"Of course."

"Right, so…" He didn't actually think that hard about where they were going. Not that it would stop him.

* * *

They ended up at a nice aquarium in Shinagawa. He'd latched onto the first travel pamphlet he could find and let Lavenza flick through it.

So they were walking around and looking at the cool fishies. She immediately ran up to the first populated tank she saw and started tapping on the glass.

"Interesting!"

"Uh, Lavenza… Maybe don't tap on the glass?" He was concerned about the strength of the attendant. That was probably her Arcana for a reason.

"Ah…" She sounded disappointed as she saw the fish swim away. "I didn't mean to frighten them."

"It's fine, they're fish." Truth be told, he was more scared for the glass than for the animals.

"So, people come here to view aquatic life?" She looked around at the few families currently visiting. It was a slow day in the middle of the week. The light refracted peacefully over their bodies and the floor.

"I guess. Inaba didn't have one, but when my grandparents would take me into the city, we went somewhere like this once or twice."

"I can't say the same…" She frowned, leaning to look deeper into the tank.

"Right," he said as he walked over to look at the fish too.

By the time looking at the fish had satisfied them (mostly her), they'd decided to eat some of the aquarium food. _Not_ the fish, obviously, just the junk that was sold at the concession stand. He flicked through the travel pamphlet some more.

_..._

_Hot springs?_

_Co-ed hot springs?!_

He really couldn't flick past that page fast enough.

"Oh?"

_I'm going to commit seppuku._

* * *

Because her interest was piqued, they went to one.

One of the _normal_ hot springs, thank god.

He trusted Lavenza enough to know what to do when they got there, and he didn't want to think too _hard_ about it anyway.

He sat back against the wooden barrier, alone in the men's area, listening to the quiet 'fwoosh' of water flowing down the artificial rocks.

He heard an 'eep' sound from the other side of the barrier.

Looks like she wasn't used to the hot water. _Again, don't think too hard about it._

"You okay in there, Lavenza?"

Her voice was muffled, but her voice traveled clearly. "Yes, the sensation was simply surprising, don't worry."

Ren struggled to not think of any other sensations. "Is there anyone else on your side?"

"No, it's empty." He heard water being splashed around. "What of you, Trickster? This heat is making me rather…flushed…"

 _Goddammit._ "I'm good. I'm alright, all things considered."

"I'm glad. I hope you've managed to relax, in at least some fashion. You were quite taxed earlier…"

Ren allowed a smile. "Y'know, this trip wasn't bad at all, honestly. Wouldn't say relaxing is the proper word for it, but…hell. Took my mind off of just _everything_ …"

"Perhaps you ought to take a few more days to rest, before another foray."

"No. Maybe a day, at least. But we gotta go back in there. Something's nagging at me. And besides. I don't wanna have to stay in a school full of zombies for _that_ much longer."

"Would you say you're prepared to return already?"

"I've gotta be."

"But are you?"

"Doesn't matter. I _have_ to be."

"Would you be able to face your death again so soon?"

Ren stayed silent for a little. "Haven't I already?"

"You've come to terms with it, as much as you could have before. But it was a completely different beast you've had to face today. It's one thing to be wary of one's death. It's another to be so close to the brink."

"What do you expect me to do?"

"Accept everything you feel, as it is. Pace yourself through it, as much as you need to, before doing anything else."

"...Maybe I should talk to Minatos about this."

"His true self had barrelled through the world, leaving behind a beast swathed in the malice he couldn't accept as a part of him. Would you want a similar fate for _your_ self?"

… _God, no._

Suddenly, Ryuji walked into the room with a towel. "Dude?"

"Dude?" Ren was surprised by the blond showing up, "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" They both paused as they heard Makoto greet Lavenza.

Ren was the first to break the silence. "Hot date?"

"The prez is literally _right there._ "

Yusuke walked in the room, also with a towel. Surprised, he was about to ask, "What are you-"

"What are _you_ doing here?" Asked the two of them.

Yusuke closed his eyes to think, "I read in a travel aid that my artistic skills may be improved if I relaxed in one of Shinagawa's hot springs. After today, I thought it would help." He opened his eyes and turned to them, "What are the two of you doing here?"

There was once again another silence as the girl's muffled conversation eased through the barrier, along with splashing and giggling.

"...I see."

Ren sunk into the water and sighed. "Morgana, if you're about to walk in, don't. Please."

He didn't know _why_ a cat would go to a hot spring, but it's not like logic existed when it regarded him.

* * *

Yusuke was meditating on one of the artificial rocks, luckily facing away from either of them.

Ren turned to Ryuji, smirking. "So, hot date?"

"Right there. Literally, right there." He shrugged towards the wall. "It was Makoto's idea anyway."

"Oh, you're calling her Makoto now?" He teased.

"I can't win here, can I? And what about you? You're here with that blonde, aren't you?"

"It was her idea."

"Dude, seriously?" Ryuji actually seemed a bit impressed.

"Yeah, luckily I managed to steer her away from the co-ed springs."

"..."

"What?"

"And I thought I was an idiot. That's the opposite of what you should've done."

"I'm telling the prez you said that."

"Uh, please don't."

"..."

"..."

"You okay?" Ren decided to ask. "From earlier today, I mean."

"Well, I..." Ryuji breathed. "I kinda lost it, didn't I?"

"You acted like you had a score to settle with the guy."

He pursed his lips. "Guy was an abusive d-bag. Asshole liked putting us down, sometimes he'd smack the shit out of us if he thought we were phoning it in. Even though none of us were. I called him out on his BS and..." he raised his leg up, showing it through the misty waters. "This happened."

The scar was ring-shaped like it had torn some kind of muscles, but not broken the bone.

"I threw the first punch," he said, lowering his knee back down. "Guy brought up my dad."

"Your dad?"

"Or lack of one, I guess," he groaned. "Tried to egg me on, and I just...bought into it like a dumbass. Wasn't even thinking. By the time I woke up, I was stuck in a gurney, carried off into an ambulance, and my leg wouldn't stop screaming at me. Bastard ground my ligaments into paste."

"What about everyone else on the team?"

"Didn't say a thing or do a thing to stop him. Not that I blame 'em, guy held their whole futures in his hands. But he dissolved the track team anyway."

Ren simply offered his silence and his ear to the blond.

"Some nights I still see him. Looming over me, smashing up my knee," Ryuji made a _hhhh_ sound. "But, it's over now. Hopefully, at least. I just pray I don't see that _thing_ in the school ever again."

"Ya kicked its ass. I don't think it'll show it's face around you again."

Ryuji laughed, breaking the somber atmosphere. " _Now_ can I join you guys?"

Ren smiled. "Help us, Ryuji Sakamoto. You're our only hope."

"You're a hell of a nerd, you know that?"

* * *

Ren did actually feel marginally better after sitting in the spring for an hour.

Yusuke didn't seem to notice them leaving, so they decided to just let him meditate.

"Damn, dude, what's with the get-up?" Ryuji asked him while he was pulling his t-shirt back on.

Ren looked over his shoulder at him while buttoning up his blazer. "Lavenza suggested that we buy some clothes. This was actually pretty cheap, with all the money we got today."

"...Now I feel kind of underdressed."

"You've never been 'dressed' to begin with."

"Whatever, man!"

* * *

Makoto and Ryuji split off not long after Ren and Lavenza had, leaving the attendant alone with her charge.

"I think that was a good call. Definitely took some of the stress off," said Ren, rolling his shoulders.

"I'm glad to hear you're feeling better. Would you like to go anywhere else?" She latched onto his arm as they walked down the street.

"I think—"

"Ahem."

Ren stopped, glancing at the voice that called out to him.

Three guys, hoods up, hands in their pockets, gestured for him to walk into the alley.

"Can I help you?"

"Those are some nice duds. How much are they worth?" One of the guys' arm's twitched, flicking something pointy in his pocket.

"Ten thousand yen, I think. Second-hand shop up in Shibuya."

"No way, really? Thanks, dude, I've been looking all over." The leader pulled down his hood and brought a tourist's map out of his pocket.

Ren was happy to point out the location on the map, right in between the 777 and the pharmacy, and sent them on their way.

"Later! Thanks again, good luck on your date!" They waved back to him as they walked off down the street.

He waved back halfheartedly. "...That definitely didn't go how I expected. I didn't even have to threaten violence!"

She raised her eyebrow, tapping her foot. "So, is this a date, Trickster?"

Now, Ren could obviously feel fear, as most other people could, but unfortunately didn't have access to his at the time.

"I dunno. Anything else you want to do?"

"...I cannot think of anything in particular, what would you prefer?"

"You know, it's been a long day. I think I just want to go home." His mind felt hazy, all of his energy loss coming back to him, and really, he'd probably collapse on his bed as soon as he got home.

* * *

**AN:**

**Sorry for being a bit late, but it is still the weekend where I am.**

**The characters in P5 really have a great sense of style, the character designers really did a good job.**

**Co-ed springs are actually a thing in Japan, which is weird because they've never shown up in an anime before, and I haven't heard of any tropes about them. Probably because there's less inherent comedy/drama potential. And you know, it's usually high schoolers. Japan has a few issues with that kind of thing.**

**This may or may not be a cliffhanger, depending entirely on how you look at it.**

**Damn, I probably need some cover art for the story. Anyone know what I should use? Like, I don't want to grab some generic art from promotional material, and I know that PQ has the roster, but that style doesn't fit very well. And I can't draw for shit, so… You know. Just post a link to something.**

**Thanks to NoRoleModelz for beta'ing, as usual.**

**Less importantly, reviews, please. It's encouraging to know people on the internet like my shit. I'll obviously keep writing even if you don't, that's my obligation as a writer. Even if you don't like it, review, I could always use more criticism to keep my ego deflated. Oh man, what if I had a tvtropes page, that would be cool. Down the line, maybe. Not you NoRoleModelz, you're busy enough dude, and you've already helped plenty.**


	18. Chapter 18

**May 5th, 20XX**

* * *

Ren wasn't quite sure what led up to that morning, but his memories of last night were hazy and forgotten in his sleepy daze. After leaving the hot springs, he went straight to Leblanc, threw off his shirt, and collapsed into bed.

Now, clearly, Lavenza was involved, as she was sitting on the bench, sleeping upright, when he woke up.

"...!" He shot up in bed, surprised. It was early morning, and he realized he was woken up by Sojiro entering the shop.

She didn't stir.

He quietly got out of bed and pulled on some clothes before going to wake her up. "Lavenza…"

"Hm?" Her eyes opened, and she moved to wipe the sleep out before turning to him. "What is it?"

"Why… are you in my house?"

"You said this was where you wanted to go after last night."

Ren's eyes widened as he remembered that was, in fact, what he told her. He acknowledged mentally that it really could have gone worse. "Can you keep your voice down? I don't think Boss would like that…" _I brought a girl home, oh god! I brought a girl home! Under extremely inopportune circumstances!_

"Whatever you need of me, Trickster," she whispered.

He nodded, and turned to find his school uniform, before hesitating. "Uh, can you turn around for a minute?"

"Of course."

Ren's face was blazing red, he was certain of it. But he did manage to find the folded-up clothes in his bag. The quicker he changed his pants, the better.

After he was done changing, he glanced back at Lavenza, who snapped her head away from him. He tugged at his collar, coincidentally at the same time as she chose to fan herself.

"...We'll just… Not talk about this." He was about to walk down the steps but remembered he needed to deal with the girl in his room.

Ren chose to use his most reliable method of escape; He checked the empty street outside, picked up Lavenza in a princess carry, and jumped out the window.

* * *

Back down under, Sojiro chose to just keep stirring the curry, ignoring the whispers traveling down from the apartment.

Women were the kid's problem, and as long as it didn't bother customers, he chose not to care.

"Reminds me of the old days... _hoo boy,"_ he muttered to himself, before checking his bean supply.

Sojiro could swear he heard a thump, and saw a flash of blue outside his cafe. He chose to ignore it. The kid wasn't too bad, really.

* * *

Then Ren ran into a slightly different problem he hadn't anticipated.

" _No,_ you can't come with me to school."

"Why not, Trickster?"

Why did she have to be so pouty about it? Now he was all conflicted and stuff. "Everyone's got this weirdo hive mind and honestly, I don't know if they'd be able to handle you."

She doesn't look offended per se, more confused. "What do you mean by 'handle me'?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to come up with a better reason than that it would embarrass him. "School's big on everybody trying to conform. The tallest nail gets hammered down. You stand out; you wear bright blue and you've got that color of hair and those yellow eyes," _and you're bizarrely pretty but let's not get into that,_ "And the girls have a habit of cracking down on people who know me."

"I appreciate your concern, but I think I can take care of myself, Trickster," she smiles. "I'd like to see what you're risking your life for, after all. Must be a very interesting place, if you're willing to go so far to save it."

"Well, it's more that I'd prefer it if zombies didn't populate the school I'm mandated by law to go to."

"Good a reason as any. But I'd like to know what your school is like, since you work so hard for its sake... I want to see what you do when I cannot assist you, Trickster."

They stared at each other for a few moments, but eventually, he hung his head in defeat against Lavenza's pure determination.

"...You're sure you'd rather do that than head back into the Velvet Room?"

"My work as an attendant is extremely important, and I take it very seriously... But I don't go out very often at all. I'd like to extend my stay here just a little while longer... If that's alright with you."

_...You know what, maybe I could deal with the pretty lady in blue hanging around me for just a few more hours. Besides, if anybody tried to harass her, she'd probably kick their ass seven ways to Sunday anyway._

* * *

They had plenty of time to walk around, an hour or two before school started.

"What do you know about school? Not mine, in general."

"I know the basic information, of course. It's a place of learning and socializing."

_More like a dystopian hellscape, nowadays._

"Yeah, I guess."

She smiled, clasping her hands behind her back, "Very well, then. Let us be off."

Ren let himself smile back. "We've got an hour. Plenty of time to walk around."

* * *

Minatos, decidedly bored in the Velvet Room, decided to take a look at what Ren was doing. Hey, he wasn't omniscient, but if he could focus on something, he could usually find it.

The kid was just doing loser things and buying manga, what did he expect? Oh, Lavenza was there? Explains why she wasn't around.

"Hey, old man, when did the Fool leave?"

"I believe in their time, he left with his attendant last night."

Minatos blinked, before falling off his barstool, laughing.

* * *

Lavenza stopped him at a bookshop. "What is this, Trickster?"

"It's... A place you can buy books."

"Interesting." Without waiting for him, she turned and walked in. He sighed and followed her.

While in the store, Ren looked for his usual manga subscriptions, he'd been behind since moving to Tokyo and dealing with all of the bullshit. Lavenza seemed more interested in the shonen/shojo books. _Kicking ass and romance go hand in hand for some people, I guess._

She opened one of the books, a romance one by the look of it, took one look at a page, and her eyes widened.

 _That can't be good._ He leaned back and tried to look over her shoulder. Failing that, because she wasn't that much shorter than him, resigned himself to buy the usual, allowing her to flick through the book with impunity, and probably get all sorts of weird ideas.

Eventually, she did end up following him to Shujin, while flicking through the book she bought with his money. Still refused to let him see it, strangely enough.

They stopped in front of the school. It was still early, only teachers and club members would be arriving for a while.

"I see… Such a plain location. Can you really stand the view?" She looked up from her book.

"It's not really about the view, it's about learning and making friends."

"Fulfilling your role as the Trickster well, I see. Your bonds are what give you strength, and education is man's greatest defense."

"...Sure? I think I should talk to the prez about metaverse exploration this afternoon."

"May I enter alongside you?"

_A question I can't answer without causing some issues, fantastic._

"Yeah, why not. School hasn't started yet, it'll probably be fine."

* * *

"Amamiya, who is this?" Ushimaru stopped him near immediately in the hall, seeing Lavenza.

"Uh…" Ren's mind blanked. "She's uh… Interested in transferring, sir."

The large teacher was surprised. "Really?"

"Yes, sir. I was going to let her talk to the student council president."

"Hm. Carry on, then."

* * *

"Amamiya-kun?" Her pen stopped on a pile of paperwork. Makoto saw Lavenza walk in behind him. "Lavenza-chan?"

"She's interested in checking out the school. How's Ryuji doing?"

"I left him at his front door last night. He said he'll join us this afternoon."

"Cool." The door opened again behind them.

"Niijima-san…" Ren's homeroom teacher walked in, too tired to even glance up from her papers. "There's an issue with the field-trip plans…"

"Ah, yes, just put those papers right here."

The teacher actually looked up, noticing the school's problem child and a foreign-looking girl. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Do I even want to know…"

"I am interested in attending this 'school', miss." Lavenza turned and bowed.

Ren quickly whispered, "That was a cover story, Lavenza!"

Kawakami didn't hear his whisper, and Lavenza didn't take it back.

"Transferring in? So early in the year?" She eyed him out of the corner of her eye, lightly glaring. "...You didn't get put on probation too, did you?"

Ignoring Ren's feigned offense, Lavenza shook her head.

"Ugh… So much paperwork… I'll find the documents."

* * *

"Get these signed by your guardians." Kawakami came back and handed over a sheaf of papers. "You can take the midterms, and if you pass, you may transfer in for the rest of term."

"Yes, miss."

As soon as Kawakami left the room, and left the three of them in silence, Ren slammed his head into the wall.

In silence, he walked her back to the school gates, after showing her around the school. Class was about to start, and if she was going to transfer in anyway… He really couldn't be bothered to hide her. "You can get back on your own, right?"

"Yes… Wait a moment…" She pulled the same book from earlier out of a dress pocket. She flicked through it again, like she was studying a textbook. "Ah, so…" She turned around, leaned up to him, and pressed her lips against his.

His mind basically shut off at that point.

She moved back and moved to put her book away, blushing lightly. "That's what this guide told me to do, when leaving someone."

"Lavenza…" Ren caught a glimpse of the book, and tried to speak, but found no words would come out.

_THAT'S A GOD DAMN ROMANCE NOVEL!_

"We will speak later. Goodbye for now, Trickster." She turned and disappeared down the street.

_Thou shalt have our blessing when creating Personae of the Strength Arcana._

…

_What._

"There are worse things to happen after taking a girl home with you."

_Minatos. Bud. My guy. I am going. To beat you to death._

"I'll get better."

* * *

"Again, I didn't do it." Mishima snuck up behind him during lunch.

Ren barely looked up from his milk. "I know, Yuki."

He actually seemed a bit repulsed. "Ew. Don't say my name like that."

"Like… Your name?"

"Just… Say my family name, it lets me keep up the pretense of business."

"Whatever, sure. What did I do this time?"

"That blonde girl, apparently."

Ren snorted into his carton.

_I really should try to get used to these things._

"Not true, I take it. Or yet, if you'd prefer."

"Nope."

"Well, that just makes you a bad baseball player then, doesn't it?"

"...?"

"You know, first base is making out, second base is-"

"Stop talking. For my sake. And yours, so she doesn't kick your ass."

"I don't doubt she could, you certainly have a taste for women like that. I bet she wears the strap."

Now, while Mishima quit volleyball as soon as Kamoshida was out of the picture, it would be reasonable to assume he was decently athletic. Not that it mattered, with Ren dangling him out the window by the blazer.

Come on, a little friendly threat of falling-to-your-death never hurt anyone.

* * *

Ren decided that talking to Minatos about near-death situations could wait, despite Lavenza's advice.

Much later in the day, the thieves made their way back into the cognitive school. Settled in a safe room, the cleared-out faculty office of the deceased Suguru Kamoshida. Everyone's all gathered together, Ryuji (now known as Captain, Kidd, or whatever was easier to say at the time) included, and Makoto's the first to try and get everyone organized.

"Ahem. Ignoring any rumors that may be flying around the school, we need to get back to work."

"Would they happen to involve the girl in blue?"

"You don't even go to our school, Yusuke." _I'm not even going to ask how he knows that._

"Ah, that is true."

* * *

"This place is like a labyrinth. Even though every hall is familiar, we've definitely traveled too far to be in the same school," observed Makoto.

"It's definitely weird. Mementos does the same thing, but only after you leave the level."

"How strange."

"We're not getting anywhere, we haven't found the roof entrance, even though we're on the third floor."

"Perhaps because it's closed to the students?"

"It is?"

"...Oh, forgot to mention that." Ryuji rubbed his neck, "Sorry about that, prez."

She sighed, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter right now. Maybe we should explore the classrooms again."

* * *

They'd checked in all of the classrooms on the third floor, and found nothing. Well, a few of the usual zombie-cognitions, but those were melted as easily as the desks.

While checking the second floor, he noticed something strange in his classroom. "Hey, guys, there's a busted open window." They entered behind him, finding an empty classroom, with some of the wooden paneling broken.

Ren walked up to it and poked his head out. It was near perfect compared to the view he'd usually get from his desk. Y'know, if you discounted the apocalyptic condition of the school grounds and the sky.

Doing exactly what was natural for him, he planted a foot on the window sill and grabbed the ledge above.

"...Why didn't we think of that earlier?"

Ren was the first to reach the roof, but rather than looking around, he summoned Arsene to pull up Yusuke and Morgana. Makoto hitched a ride on Captain Kidd, Ryuji at the wheel. Once they were all situated, they tried to see what was inside the courtyard.

The usual rooftop was relatively untouched, looking almost exactly like it did in the real world, almost like a safe room.

A giant blue tarp covered the internal courtyard. Ren tried to lift it, but felt it was heavy like steel. It still wavered in the wind, despite its supposed weight.

"It's… It's Treasure!" Morgana launched himself past the others, jumping onto the tarp. An audible clang rang out, as he slid back down towards them.

"You think the treasure is under there?" He asked the cat.

Morgana shook his bobbing head, clearing the dizziness away. "I've felt something like this the entire time we were here, but… It's just past this barrier, I'm certain of it."

"Do you think we can get this tarp off?" He switched into Arsene's body with his drill, trying to lift the impossibly heavy obstruction again.

"It might be linked to the psyche of the distortion owners. If something were to shake it up, it might become easier to remove."

"Shake it up, huh… Calling card! That's what it was called, right?"

"Yes, and once we send one, the treasure will take its true form, making it all the easier to steal."

"Good to know. Well, are we done for today then?"

"Seems like it."

"Huh. And we didn't even have to fight any traumatizing mid-bosses."

"..."

"I said, at least we didn't even have to fight any big monsters."

"..."

"I SAID-"

"Let's just go, man."

* * *

**AN:**

**The Demi-fiend transferred into Gekkoukan, that's my handwave. I stole the basic idea from another Persona 3 fic. Can't remember the name right now, but Fuuka and Elizabeth became friends, it might have been Remix, but I'm not sure. I'm incredibly busy right now, and sorry for being late. The next chapter will be short as well, but expect a longer one for the epic gamer conclusion. Thanks to NoRoleModelz as always.**

**Review, please, even if you think this is shit, any suggestions or encouraging words would be great.**


	19. Chapter 19

**May 6th, 20XX**

* * *

Ren, knowing that there were certain rumors going around, shouldn't have been surprised by a certain redhead following him in the hallway. The problem with these rumors in particular is that they were technically true. He'd been annoyed by the groups of people that would randomly follow him during the school day. Like, seriously, can a guy buy some bread? He felt it wasn't worth getting angry about, as he planned on fixing it anyway.

One of the mobs in question turned into the hallway. They honed in on him almost immediately. He froze immediately, instinctively taking a step back.

They all had some sort of sick grin on their faces with their eyes squinted. Exact same grin. Not a fold of skin differed from one person to another. Even their eyes twitched the same. He turned to book it as they started stampeding towards him.

"Ren-" She tried to say as he passed, not-so-wisely choosing to stand in the middle of the hallway.

He grabbed her hand and tried running up his usual escape route to the roof.

Closed off and locked.

_God damn it, Makoto, I know it's your job, but seriously?_

Hearing the approach of the mob, he observed his surroundings.

Locked door to the rooftop he could probably break through. Pile of loose junk, could conceivable hide under. They weren't after Kasumi, he could hide there.

He jumped into the pile, covering himself in an old gym mat. He heard a stampede of footsteps coming up the stairs.

A sickly sweet voice called out, "Oh, Amamiyaaaaaa- What? Where'd he go?"

"Um… I don't know where Ren is."

A slap rattled in his ears.

"Show some respect to Amamiya-sama, bitch." The voice turned from sweet to cold.

He threw off the mat, grabbed Kasumi, and jumped down the stairs, ignoring the shouts and…. Moans of the mob.

Shuddering, Ren ran towards a window in the hallway. Throwing it open, he subconsciously switched to Arsene, and jumped, landing in a crouch.

He put Kasumi down, and sat back against the wall.

"Sorry." He saw a red mark on her cheek. "I shouldn't have thought they'd leave you alone." He reached out to try and channel some healing magic, but she swatter his hand away.

"It's fine."

"I should have dealt with it myself."

"Ren, I'm fine."

_No, you aren't._

That was what he wanted to say. Instead, nothing came. The girl didn't look disappointed, like she had before. In fact, she didn't really have much of an expression at all, which was a first.

She'd always put her heart on her sleeve. Now he could barely even see it.

"Goodbye, then," she said, stiffly bowing and brushing past him.

* * *

Velvet Room.

"So, completely ignoring any rumors, again-"

"You already said that." Ryuji glanced at the Velvet Room attendant, who was polishing the bar.

Ren rubbed his neck. "Yeah… Anyway, calling card. I'll work on sending it out, so everyone, get some rest and prepare yourselves."

Makoto, peering over her tented fingers, asked, "What exactly are you planning, Arsene?"

He resisted the urge to wink at her. "That's for me to know, and everyone else to find out."

Ryuji just shook his head, "You're having a bit too much fun with this 'phantom thief' stuff, aren't you?"

"Can you blame me?"

"Uh..." Ryuji swirled his drink and took a swig from the can. "Guess not."

"No new guns, because Iwai might want the evoker back, and would probably get pissed if he found out someone else was borrowing it."

"Who is this 'Iwai' person?" Makoto seemed to have a dangerous glint in her eyes. Ren took out his electrical-taped bolter and placed it on the table.

"He's our weapons guy. See, it costs 400,000 yen to fire this weapon for twelve seconds."

"..."

"You know what, never mind. We can worry about it later."

* * *

Ren dialed up Makoto in the middle of the night, after completing his work and the preparations. That second-hand shop really came in handy for throw-away disguises.

She picked up the phone, answering sleepily, "Huhwaha? Who is this…"

"Don't be mad when you get to school tomorrow." He tapped the 'end call' button.

She'd probably be mad anyway.

"Oh! Lupin the third, Lupin the third, Lupin the third-" He whispered to himself as he picked up the last trace he'd left on the school grounds.

* * *

**AN:**

**Incredibly short chapter, but there wasn't much writing to be done anyway. It's mostly because I was really busy this week. I'll get something more substantial out next week.**


	20. Chapter 20

**May 7th, 20XX**

* * *

Ren entered the Velvet Room that day, early enough in the morning such that if she knew, Makoto would undoubtedly scold him and delay the Palace invasion by another day. With all his scheming complete, he wasn't able to sleep anyway.

"Minatos."

The Shadow of the Universe sat there at the table, not even giving a passing glance at Ren as the boy made his grand entrance. Slumped over in his chair, Minatos' shoulders were hunched up and his head hung low. Ren almost stopped in his tracks right there and then, because the silly thought pierced his head that the asshole looked a little _sad_ for some reason.

"Yo."

Ren briefly wondered where the others were, before saying, "We need to talk."

"They have a habit of doing that, by the way," he shrugged. "Getting affectionate with their assigned Wild Cards."

"Not about that—" Ren turned his head two and fro, "Though, where _is_ Lavenza…? Where's Igor, now I think of it?"

"Requested they take off for a bit," Minatos said, _still_ not caring to look at the guy. His eyes staring into the glass in his hands like it was an abyss.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Had a feeling you'd come here and ask questions. After all, you're gonna dive into that miserable place for what oughta be the last time. Figured that before you freak out and lose your shit over nearly dying again, you'd wanna get the opinion of the Shadow that helped save the goddamn world."

Ren didn't want to let his anxiety show. "What was it like?"

"Hmm?"

"Going out there, your life at risk because of monsters nobody but you knew about. Constantly on the verge of losing something. Losing your friends. Losing your own life. How'd you do it?"

"It was easy," he said, and though his face was obscured Ren felt he was smiling. "At least as far as he let on. His ultimate Persona was Messiah, and when you look at everything he _did_ before he became a door, you'd be hard-pressed to deny it fit him. Guy lived and breathed miracles and every time he was at death's door he'd claw his way back out. Hell, once he actually died and _forced_ himself back. All that said, _I_ was a part of him, so he obviously wasn't that perfect."

"Minatos?"

"In truth... He was a million things, and _Messiah_ was the last of them. Guy never wanted to let it show how much all the shit he'd been through made him want to destroy everything. And why would he show it to anyone? If he wanted to, he could just snap his fingers and bend reality to his will. So why wouldn't he just buckle down and let no one else see what he _really_ was? In the end, he was able to do it just because he could."

Ren blinked. "Because he _could_?"

"Yeah. You'd be surprised how much you'd be able to justify with _Because I Can_. But there's also the fact that he had friends, friends who cared him far more than he could ever have deserved. But in the end, for as much as he loved them, for as much as _I_ loved them, he just…never let any of 'em know what he _really_ was."

"Because he could."

" _And_ because deep down he was a stupid asshole who hated himself. If he could live his life and save everyone and not even have to face himself, then why even bother. Guy was far too smart for _my_ own good."

"He was afraid of losing his life, right?"

"Course he was. He always was. But you go through the gory enough times and it stops becoming _I and my friends might die if I screw up_ and more of _If I win the monster in front of me dies quiet._ The more he gained the more he feared to lose, and the more he feared to lose, the more his arms stretched out to gain things."

"Some Messiah he was."

"Indeed. A man of great sorrows. Arrogant, perhaps righteously so, considering all his power and intellect. He'd kick logic to the curb and make the universe his own. 'Cuz that was just how he wanted to deal with things. Guy was a dick, sometimes even on his very best of days, but when push came to shove, it was his will that mattered above all else."

"His will?"

"How'd he survive all those battles? Because he said he could. How'd he raise a whole army to fight along with him at the end of the world? Because he said he could. How'd he manage to keep trudging on despite everything he felt and feared was true about himself? Because he said he could, because he _needed_ to, because that's just how he rolled. Because someone had to be Messiah. Even if he was the last person who could ever be."

"So what? Should I just… _tell_ myself I'll survive whatever comes at me? Say I'll make it because I can?"

"Honestly? Yeah, maybe."

"...Oh my god."

"Always starts there. The actualization of the ego. A willingness to feed it, to live offa your own hype and make yourself as big and puffed up as possible. Self-confidence, self-assertiveness. _Then_ you fuck up and you hopefully survive your failure long enough to feel the shame, the agony, the merciless embarrassment. And then you become someone, something else."

"Death Arcana speaking?"

"Abso-fuckin'-lutely. Great change, and transformation. Otherwise it's decay and degeneration."

"Right. So it's all a matter of trial and error? Go by whatever I feel and assert myself in whatever I do? Hope it doesn't all blow up in my face or end up killing the people I'm working with?"

"Of course you strategize. You plan, and you do everything in your power to protect those you care about. But the first step to building said power is letting yourself believe you can attain it in the first place. Believing you've got it."

"And if I don't have it?"

" _Everyone_ has it."

"And if I don't deserve it?"

" _Nobody_ deserves it. Every single human on the goddamn planet is a basket case with a whole host of different idiosyncrasies and psychoses. You're all walking contradictions that, whether intentionally or unintentionally, always shit the bed when it matters most. You can only do what you can. And if believing you can do something is all you can do, can't hurt to give it a shot. That shit carried him until the end of the world and beyond."

"Why were you even willing to tell me any of this?" Ren asked.

Minatos finally turned to face him, letting out a tired smile, "Because I could. And because the journeys of little Fools like you make me all nostalgic inside."

* * *

The dull blocks of concrete were slated with a bloody red, with loose black lettering that gleamed in the early morning light:

**TO ALL WHO ENTER SHUJIN ACADEMY**

**THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS OF SIN**

**I KNOW OF YOUR CRIMES AND DISTORTED MINDS**

**YOU ALLOW SICK AND DISEASED THOUGHTS TO RUN RAMPANT WITHIN THE STUDENT BODY WITHOUT CAUTION**

**ALL TO CATER TO YOUR OWN TWISTED DESIRES**

**THEY WILL BE TAKEN FROM YOU WITHOUT FAIL**

**~THE PHANTOM THIEF OF HEARTS**

* * *

Ren managed to get a quick nap in his attic, but still didn't feel quite awake. Citing fatigue, he convinced Boss to make him a few thermoses of coffee.

Well, only one of them was actually to keep him awake. The rest was for the operation that would occur that afternoon.

He checked his watch one more time before stepping out of the cafe. Arriving too early would make it seem like he'd been nearby, and arriving too late would make it appear he was avoiding confrontation.

There was a crowd outside the school gates when he arrived. Dozens of students were frozen in place, not letting anyone through. They were clutching at their chests, scowls on their faces. The atmosphere would have crushed him if he didn't have his resolve. His lip trembled for a mere moment, before shaking his head and walking straight through.

It felt like the air froze when he emerged on the other side of the crowd. There was a dull flash, as the world turned black. He turned around, noticing his goggles slight tint, as he faced the crowd. Their skin was a mottled gray, and mostly covered by prison uniforms. The eyes were a static blue, like the buzzing skies that plagued the mementos of Shujin Academy.

 **"You want it?"** Despite the small crowd, it seemed like hundreds of voices asked at once. **"TRY TO TAKE IT!"**

Before they could start moving, the world jerked back into reality. Ren turned and left a confused student population at the gates, one that only understood the message subconsciously.

* * *

"I must say… I didn't expect that." Makoto stood at the window of the emptied student council room, overlooking the courtyard. Of course, the front wall wasn't the only one he painted. Even then, teachers were trying to spray off the chalk. Yeah, chalk paint. It would cause a lot more issues for the school if it was too difficult to remove, and a headache for the student council president.

"Hey, if I'm one thing, it's a man of his word."

"Psh, try telling Yoshizawa that." Ryuji leaned back in his chair, precariously trying to balance himself on the back two legs.

Ren rubbed the back of his neck, remembering his encounter with the befuddled girl on his way to class. She looked deep in thought, not even blinking when she passed him in the hallway as he entered Makoto's office. "It's not like I lied, I just left out a few details."

"Dude, I think even I would count being phantom thieves as more than 'a few details'."

"Ahem." The two idiots were interrupted by Makoto attempting to call their attention back. "Tantalus will be present for the operation, correct?"

"Yeah, his school's a bit looser with their schedule, so he'll be ready at the usual operation."

"And how are we on the weaponry front?"

"We'll have to stick with these weapons, since Iwai might want the Evoker back, and Takemi hasn't gotten the official one in yet."

"Very well. We'll have to make do. How's our medicine?"

"Plenty of it, and I've got some extra thermoses for SP." Ren pulled one out of his bag and shook it to show it off.

Ryuji tipped forward and asked, "What does SP stand for anyway?"

"Uh… Spirit Points, allegedly."

They looked at him oddly.

"...You play too many video games, dude."

"I didn't come up with the damn name!"

While they continued bickering, a certain redhead had been waiting outside the council room, interested in why Ren spent so much time there.

* * *

"Man, if I had a speaker, I'd be playing 'Life Will Change" by Sapphire right now."

_Wow, so subtle._

"You mean Lyn?" Ryuji actually looked a little offended. Was he a fan of idols or something?

"I meant covered by- Not important actually," Ren shook his head, and focused on their goal. The metaverse's sky buzzed much more intensely, and even just glancing at it hurt his eyes. The five phantom thieves stood just outside the usual alley, notably dressed like cosplayers.

Yusuke had actually developed his own alternate costume, despite the way he summoned. It was similar enough to his shadow, a flowing greek-style robe, wrapping his legs and parting around his chest. It still looked a bit icy, like it was frozen to his skin, but Yusuke had never complained about it. He still didn't have a mask like the rest of them, though.

The air pulsated with pressure, almost like the air did in the Warp. Chains rattled in the distance, but he didn't feel the Reaper's presence.

"We've got our infiltration route set?"

The other thieves nodded, and Ren flicked his drill. "Alright then. It's ass-kicking time."

"You try too hard sometimes, Fool."

_Shut up, Minatos._

* * *

They stood on top of the roof, after reaching it with little effort. No one wandered the halls, like it really was abandoned. The metallic tarp was flapping in the stale wind at an incredible speed.

"Ready? Let's do this." Ren pulled out his gun and shot the tarp. The bullet pinged off, leaving them in silence.

"...What was the point of that?"

"I thought it would piss something off." He shot it again.

The school started rumbling underneath their feet. The thieves stumbled, as the tarp seemed to jut out. It began to tent in the center, like an arm reaching out.

"...Ah."

The tarp snapped off, ripping concrete from the school like chalk, and flying off into the sky. A golden arm reached for the heavens.

It… Was a very long arm to say the least. They were thrown off their feet by a heavy rumble, which to Ren's horror, was most likely whatever it was trying to stand up.

His vision was filled by a gleaming mass that towered over the school, at least twice it's height.

And its face looked just like his.

Painted gold, of course. The eyes were whirring in their sockets like clockwork, and his mouth looked sculpted like a statue.

"First of all!" He managed to stumble to his feet, while the ground's shaking slowed by the moment. "I AM NOT SMOOTH DOWN THERE!" He shot his gun wildly at the statue's groin area, though it didn't seem to actually have one. Or two? Is that what that means? Whatever, big fucking hunk of gold at least twelve times as tall as them.

"What on earth…" It sounded like Makoto got up behind him.

"Treasure!" Morgana started hopping toward the edge.

Ren threw out his arm, keeping the cat from falling into the courtyard.

Steam poured out of the statue's nose, as its joints creaked. It didn't have pupils, but it was clear that it was looking straight at them. It slowly raised one of its arms and tried to grab them. A strong wind surrounded the fist, despite the slow speed, turning it into something like the fist of God.

Ren grabbed Morgana, as the thieves scattered. Ryuji summoned Captain Kidd and let Makoto hop on while Yusuke…

_Guess he did find his super suit. I didn't think you could skate on ice like that._

The statue's arm continued on its course, and instead of resting on the ledge, it broke right through, and punched a hole in the building. Students clung to its arm as it withdrew, wrapping around it, and some falling into the courtyard.

"Ho-oly shit." Ryuji tried to get a better look at the zombies that were still moving somehow, even after falling a dozen meters. His voice was somewhat softened after traveling across the courtyard to Ren's ears.

They tried all of their elements. Makoto's nuclear blasts just seemed to warm it up, turning the plating red for a few moments. Yusuke's ice did nothing, Electricity… Well, it conducted it, as Morgana quickly found out after trying a close-range attack at the same time. Curse energy turned the armor a strange shade, but it would revert in seconds.

"GUYS! MORE COMPANY IN LIKE T-MINUS FIVE!"

Ryuji's shout brought everyone to look over what the hell was going on over the school grounds, the drones down below pouring out the doors of the school. When doors overflowed with too many of them they'd throw their bodies out the windows and try to climb up the walls even if their bodies became pincushions full of glass. More half-dead kids were crawling out the open hole in the roof, reaching to get to the Thieves.

"Shit." They were running themselves ragged, fighting off any zombies that got onto the roof, but still trying to take out the idol. "Makoto! What are the physical properties of gold!"

She pressed a mottled face into the ground with a wheel before revving the bike's engine. "Malleable, conductive, metallic."

"Heating up metal makes it expand, right?"

"Yes!" Yelling across the courtyard was annoying, but the alternative of getting mauled or getting crushed didn't look so hot.

"What about cooling it down?"

"That'd make it contract."

"What about both?"

She actually stopped to consider the question, pulverizing a straggler with her heel.

Ryuji couldn't help shuddering. It was the male instinct, and her foot was on a rather unfortunate place on the male cognition's body.

"It would make the metal extremely brittle."

Ren made a thumbs up across the courtyard. "Hit it with all ya got. Yusuke, do the same, alternate! Morgana, where's the treasure inside that thing?"

"It's… It's in the face!"

"..."

"..."

"God damn! I'm not that vain, you bastards!" He shot down the zombies that were trying to crawl up the walls. He heard nuclear blasts and ice shattering in rapid succession. He couldn't tell if the statue had vocal cords or not, because that metallic groaning seemed a bit too lifelike for his tastes.

_Do it. Beat the hell outta that thing and take the Treasure. Do the impossible and kick reason to the curb._

_Because you can._

"Alright, time for something new! ARCHANGEL!"

There was silence in the courtyard.

The 'sun' cracked, in the sky, and shattered outwards, with a burning holy light. Everything else was cloaked in shadow and frozen in time.

-=- YOU DARE TO DEMAND THE POWER OF HEAVEN? -=-

He smirked, keeping the shards of his mask from reforming. A figure of blue light flicked in and out of existence.

"Hell yeah, I do."

-=- BLASPHEMY -=-

"I don't give a damn. I'm not sure which religion you represent, but even I know where Fallen Angels come from."

The guardian of the heavens appeared in front of him, standing guard with its claymore. Its form was different that what had been shown in the compendium. The white tunic was instead a black that leeched the brightness from around it. The feathers on its wings started shedding.

"Seems like you guys have a morale problem."

-=- YOU DARE -=-

"Yes," he said, as he shot the sun. "Because I can." A cracking sound rang out, but... In reverse?

The world resumed its normal coloration, as did the combat.

Ren whirred his drill and smirked.

The phantom thief took to the sky, now clad in chainmail armor and bony, unholy wings. The visor clanked down whenever he turned his head. Morgana was protecting Yusuke decently well, slicing the legs out from under any cognition that got too close. Ryuji did the same, but clearly preferred simply bashing the skulls in. The statue's stumbling was slow, but it seemed to actually feel the pain, trying the clutch its face.

Ren got there first though, diving and driving his claymore into the cracking bridge of its nose. It pressed inward, piercing through to the hilt. Pressing his feet against both eyes, and keeping the approaching hands in mind, he tried pulling the sword sideways to carve out an opening. The metal gave way, and screeching echoed out from the slit. He clenched his jaw, and began pulling even harder.

He had nearly a quarter of a circle carved out before the hands got too close. He yanked out the claymore, and jumped off the idol's scalp.

Metal clanged against metal, as the statue punched itself in the face.

His wings flapped as he hovered in place, and watched it collapse the entire wing of the school on its own, crushing dozens in a matter of seconds. The zombies then stopped in their tracks, even in mid-air, pausing entirely as though time itself had stopped just for them.

None of the Thieves were caught up in the collapse, far enough away from the ruined half by about ten feet.

"Oh my God…" Makoto uttered, collapsing to her knees.

"Square-cube law, ya bastard."

Ren slowly descended, planting his legs on the slack statue. He finished carving a hole in the face, kicking the plating inside. The air inside was sheer darkness. He didn't hear the plate hit the other side.

He threw the sword off to the side and reached inside. In the darkness, he felt around for anything resembling treasure. There was something vaguely solid inside. He tugged it free, and heard something snap. The idol's body felt flat, and the dull whirring stopped completely. He hadn't noticed the arms attempting to sneak up on him.

Must have been the crushing void in front of him taking up all of his attention.

In his hands, he held a reflective box. He couldn't feel it through Archangel's gloves, so he tossed it up to Makoto.

"Is this the black box? No, those are orange…"

"Think that's the treasure?"

Morgana skittered up to her and tried jumping for the box. She held it in the air, out of his reach.

"Looks like it."

Ren looked back at the destroyed cognitive school, splattered and oozing with shadow ichor, and partially collapsed.

The cognitions, frozen in time, began flickering and pulsating and twitching profusely, dark blood pouring from every orifice as cracks formed in their bodies.

"Go." He turned to the cognitive students, frozen in time. "You aren't shadows, I know that much, but you don't need to trap yourselves here, not anymore! Return to the cognitions from which you came, DAEMONS!"

They didn't move, but seemed... Relieved. Like a pressure had lifted that was not there before. They shattered, dissolving into scraps of papery ash, and flew into the sky like a maelstrom.

"...What did that do? What was the point?"

"Those... They weren't shadows, not quite. There's a lot that can happen to fuck someone up, but our school doesn't have enough people with that kind of experience. They... They're the thoughts and perceptions of the students, but also the thoughts of themselves. Maybe Ushimaru really does think he's some washed up geezer, maybe Chouno hates herself for buying so much makeup, maybe Kamoshida left a greater hole behind than you thought. The school, it's sick. I don't think that this will solve it. This was just the boiling point. We can't get rid of everyone's feelings, but this was the first step."

"Wasn't the point of coming here to fix it?" Makoto seemed annoyed at his inconclusive answer.

"We did, to an extent, but we can't change people on that level, not like this. To take away what makes them themselves... It's wrong, and I know we changed the collective heart, but that just removed their greatest issue."

"And that was you?"

"I don't know why, but it seems like it. I don't know if it's some caveat of being a Fool Arcana, or a Persona-user, but all of the issues stemmed from their idolization of... Me."

_Ironic, isn't it. I become the biggest problem in my hometown, get shipped out to the city, and I still messed it up._

"So in the end, did we really change anything?"

"This was the first step, Makoto. They'll realize what they did was wrong but... Unless we go into every one of their hearts individually, I don't think there will be some massive change of worldview, because people _just don't work like that,_ y'know? Humans are stubborn, and willful, and steadfast in their beliefs, and in the end... The best thing we can do is to forgive their sins when the thieving is all said and done, and hope they change _themselves_ for the better, when they reflect and see the wrong they did."

"..." Everyone was silent, looking around the shattered remains of the school.

"I think-" Ren started-

The ground started rumbling, prompting them to close ranks.

"Yeah, we gotta go!"

They ran over the idol that was dissolving just like the building, and ran into the street. The blue skies seemed to pulsate, turning to grayscale television static. The fences rusted years and years in mere moments, breaking down like ash in the wind.

He couldn't activate the app fast enough, as they breathlessly left the world of Shujin's cognition.

* * *

They'd returned to school grounds. In an alleyway, right across from the front entrance.

"Damn. How about that?"

Makoto didn't say anything, just staring at the treasure's new form.

A god damn cell phone. Really, how about that? There was a dangly golden wire too, with a USB attachment. She handed it to him, letting him fiddle with it while everyone took a breather. No recognizable brand signature, it was some kind of amalgamation of what you'd think a cell phone looks like in your head. It already had the metaverse app installed, weirdly.

"It's… Over, I guess." He swiped through the functions, and it was just about the most copyright-free thing you could expect; Just a browser, an SMS shortcut, and a number dial. He could give it to Lavenza or something, who knows.

"After this adrenaline wears off… I think I'm going to head back to those hot springs." Makoto's arms were shaking. The same was true for Ryuji, but he barely noticed because of how his leg usually acted. Yusuke was completely relaxed, and seemed to be thinking.

"I could use a nap."

The crash from all the coffee he'd been downing hit him all at once, forcing him to his knees. He suddenly remembered his total lack of sleep.

"Ah… Call... Lavenza-"

He fell flat on his face and passed out right there in the alley.

Ryuji just looked down at him while suppressing a laugh, but seeing the warning glare Makoto gave him, choked it back.

"...Who's going to get him home?"

"..."

"I'm glad you asked." A blue door suddenly swung open at the end of the alley. Ryuji nearly jumped out of his skin. Makoto just raised her eyebrow.

Lavenza walked out and picked Ren up with one arm.

Ruler of strength, never forget.

* * *

**AN:**

**I think that this is one of the best chapters, of course, thanks to NoRoleModelz. New arc words, boys, they can and will be used in different contexts. If this were a tv show, this would be the last episode of season one. Oh, but Mikael, you may ask, is this one of those movies that have a post-credits scene?**

**Yes, yes it is. Think of it as the ending scene of Evangelion. Not the movie, the original show. A deconstruction of the psyche, if you will.**

**Play 'Memories Returned' from Pokemon Mystery Dungeon if you want. I think it fits the tone of the ending.**

* * *

Kasumi Yoshizawa sat on her bed, thinking to herself. Her homework long since done, and her gymnastics training long since put on hold.

What was Ren up to?

"Stop that line of thought, he's your friend, nothing more." He made that clear.

_What are your feelings for him, then?_

"He's a good person."

_And? Do you swoon over every stranger who holds the door open for you?_

"I didn't swoon- Okay, maybe a little bit. But he's not just a stranger, he's stood up for me."

_Again, would you feel the same way about a stranger?_

"He's... Well, he's Ren. He's an attractive person."

_Oh, you are totally down bad._

"I didn't mean it like that!" She suppressed a blush, despite being completely alone with her thoughts. "It's just... He draws people in, and treats them kindly. When they do him wrong, he fights, even if it isn't very honorable."

_So you're into fighters, then? The blond he hangs out with has a lot more muscle, you should-_

"That's what I mean!" She ignored the second part of the thought. "He has so many people in his life, Takamaki, Sakamoto, Mishima..."

_That blonde?_

"I"m not jealous!"

_Never said you were, sweetheart._

"Why are my own thoughts teasing me?" She sighed and shook her head. "I just... I want to be one of his people. I've depended on him too much, I want to be someone he can depend on, like Sakamoto to back him up, or Takamaki to dress him decently, or Mishima to banter about rumors, or-"

_Like that blonde to-_

"AGH!" She pressed on her temples with the tips of her index fingers to take out the very realistic and very embarrassing thoughts she was having. The exaggerated rumors she'd heard were no help either.

_If you can't handle that little thought, there's no way you'll get to join his harem._

"Noooooooo- Bad brain! Stop that!"

There was a knock at the door.

"kSaUsMuImRiE, are you all right?"

She was hit with a wave of confusion, and slight nausea.

"...Yes, father, I'm sorry."

"It's all right, I know you're still struggling. Dinner will be ready soon." The sound of footsteps faded into another part of the house.

...

"I need to become someone that she- _he_ can rely on."

_Atta girl._

* * *

"Shido-san, please! I need your support to cover this up! An event like this may be written off as a prank, but someone may dig up what happened to Suguru Kamoshida!"

Kobayakawa sat in his too-small chair, pleading to the other man on the phone.

"Never say my name during your calls, you have been told this. Secondly, some juvenile prank is beneath my concern. Investigate it yourself, if it matters so much to you."

The line went dead, as the politician hung up on the principal. That sounded like the start of a bad joke, maybe get a Rabbi in there too.

The too-large man slapped his meaty hands over his face in frustration. Sure, the clean-up of the 'calling card' was simple, but students had managed to take too many photos to be confiscated, and it would surely start circulating in the media. People would see the news, recall a news story about the exposed pedophiliac gym teacher, and start drawing lines between Kobayakawa and incompetence.

Sweating, he pounded a different number into his cell, looking for an alternative solution.

The student council president did not pick up. How could she afford to be away from her phone, the ungrateful bitch. Maybe he could threaten to take away the letter of recommendation...

A different idea popped into his head, instead of simple schemes.

"What if I countered the bad press with good press," he wondered aloud. He glanced at a copy of the school newspaper that had been left on his desk. Track (Volleyball had lost its spirit, no one wanted to be the one to replace Kamoshida), Gymnastics, Photography...

He eyed the two transfer students whose faces were at the forefront of the issue. A plan began to whir in his mind, and while it would require him to actually work, he would be seeing much more benefits.

* * *

Tae Takemi tapped her glass against her friend's after they sat down at the bar in Shinjuku. Even if it was a place full of crossdressers, it wasn't too terrible of a place to drink. Except for the girl dressed like it was the '90's, like seriously, what's her deal?

Yukari Takeba was a little embarrassed to realize she'd said that out loud, and gotten a couple of annoyed looks. The reporter, by the looks of it, waved off the glare from the bartender for her, and just laughed.

"Hey, you're dressed like it's still 2009, seriously, what's with that choker?"

She tugged at the old thing she was wearing, and briefly thought of- "So, how's the clinic?" Yukari took a sip, nudging the doctor. No use thinking about him, not anymore.

"Same old, same old. Nothing I didn't tell you about the last time you called."

"You still need the evoker?" She patted her purse.

"I haven't heard from the guy, but I think he still needs it."

"Oh-ho? It's a guy?" She ramped up the nudges, and Takemi had to tighten her grip on the bar to not fall off her stool.

"We just sat down, how are you already drunk?"

"Avoiding the question, I see? Eh, I could never hold my alcohol well-" She thought about a certain Christmas party, where she was throwing up in the toilet, needing her hair to be held back by- "NO!" She interrupted her thoughts, trying to drown them out.

"No, what?"

"It's just... Oh, you didn't know him, it's not-"

"So you can tease me about my boys and I can't mention yours?"

The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Yukari glared at her. "He's dead, you-"

"Oh!" Takemi backed off immediately, holding up her hands reflexively. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were talking about _him_."

"It's... It's fine." She massaged one of her temples, leaning into her old work friend. "I try not to think about Minato, but... It's been nearly seven years, and he still pops into my head sometimes."

"...You said his name was Minato, right?" Takemi was trying to make sure if she heard that correctly.

"Yeah, Minato 'Spell my name with an "O"' Arisoto." She chuckled lightly, leaning into the bar. "He cheated on me before he died, you know? With _the boss,_ no less, can you believe that?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, and get this, he had a heart attack when I called him saying we should get back together. Physically impossible, the doctors said. He always did have a thing for doing the impossible. He was an asshole, don't get me wrong... But he was my asshole. Oh, ew! I didn't mean it like that!" Yukari sniffed, faking a gag. Takemi just chuckled at her slip of the tongue. "God! I hope Stupei never hears about that one..."

"That baseball player you know from high school?"

"Yeah, he became a coach, actually. He's technically one of the shadow ops because he said he'd 'look for Persona-users', but I think he just likes keeping in contact with everyone."

"High schoolers, you say..."

"Eh? Ohhhhhhh, I thought you weren't into younger guys." She joked, trying to lighten the mood. "But seriously, does he have the potential?" She'd never quite gotten out of the habit of calling Persona 'the potential'.

"Actually, yes. He asked me once something about if... I knew someone named Minatos."

* * *

**AN:**

**For real this time. NoRoleModelz, thanks for Beta'ing as always.**

**There may be a hiatus for a week or two, but I will be going back and adding stuff to the first chapter, as recommended to me. A general plot summary of Fairly English Story, so people don't have to read that whole fic (Even if I think they should), and more people can get into my work. Also, the prologue just sucks in general, so... Y'know.**

**This will be all from the Cognitive Shujin arc, so expect a bit of filler between this and the next arc.**

**The world is more beautiful than you could know, and you are more loved that you could believe.**

**Huh, what? Ignore that.**

**Review, please. I'm going to go back and change things at some point, and literally, just one sentence is fine, just leave your thoughts. I have a habit of checking out the profiles of anyone who interacts with the story so if you want me to read something...**

**Hey, just a suggestion. Oh, new longest chapter, how about that?**

**There's more 5FES to come, don't worry. Smell ya later.**


	21. Chapter 21

**May 8th, 20XX**

* * *

Ren woke up the next day in the Velvet Room, sprawled across a plush couch. The ceiling was high, and there was a peaceful air about. The usual casino-and-bar decorations were nowhere to be seen. He glanced over at Lavenza, who was sitting there with a clipboard and was wearing his glasses. She was wearing a white lab coat with a turtleneck the usual shade of blue, silver glasses over her eyes.

_Guess she bought more than I thought._

She crossed her legs and peered over her notes, looking into his eyes.

"Good morning, Trickster. Thank you for coming today."

He gave her a sort of _look,_ and said, eloquently, "Uh… You're welcome?"

She nodded, looking completely out of character. "Let's get started. Please relax, and tell me anything comes to mind." She held out a hand and gestured for him to lay back on the couch.

He did, albeit still confused, and clasped his hands over his chest. "Well I- We- changed the hearts of everyone at Shujin."

"Very good. And how did that make you _feel?_ " She exuded an odd intensity.

Ren suddenly remembered seeing this joke play out in every show, like, ever, and snorted. "Accomplished."

"Why do you feel that way?"

He thought back to his pseudo-philosophical monologue and cringed a little. "Because I helped people, I suppose. There won't be as many issues at school now, and maybe I can relax and be done with—" Yusuke's collapsed form suddenly popped into his head. "Wait, no. But I'll still have less problems with other students."

"Would you say that you get pleasure from doing good, Trickster?" She scribbled something down on her notepad.

He 'hmm'ed to himself, before answering. "I like being able to help people."

"Why do you want to help people?"

He stopped to think, and scratched his cheek. "Because… Well, because I can." He laughed quietly to himself.

"Is doing good your goal in life?"

"That's… A bit of a hard question, Lavenza. I mean, I'm in high school. I'm supposed to figure that out over the next few years, right?"

She gave a non-committing nod, before continuing. "Would you like to continue doing good?"

"What _is_ good?"

"You said it yourself, to help people is to be good."

"I… Well, I did say that. Hmph."

"Would you like to continue helping people, then?"

He looked up at the ceiling, before weakly nodding. His neck was in a bit of an awkward position.

Lavenza had stood up, and walked next to him. He looked at her in the corner of his eye. "Would you like to help _me_ then, Trickster?"

_Walked right into that one._

"Well… I'm still a bit tired, and I'd like to just rest today." He said, with half-lidded eyes.

"Completely understandable," she nodded. "May I assist you?"

He didn't completely understand the question, but shrugged in a way that said, "Eh, why not."

"But there must be a more comfortable place for rest, surely?"

"I'm not picky."

She sighed, before picking him up and flipping him over her shoulder.

"Hey!" His face turned a deep shade of red. She started walking off, carrying him with a tight grip on his back.

"Your health is of the utmost concern, Trickster. It wouldn't do for you to foolishly disregard **it** for the sake of ease."

"Well, yeah, but—you don't have to carry me!"

"I believe I do. If you are tired, walking around will only increase your fatigue."

_I really walked right into this one. Damn._

She carried him out of the room and into the casino part of the Velvet Room. Not that he could really tell from his current view. Though he was almost certain Minatos was laughing his ass off. Igor too, if he was there.

"I didn't know there were different parts of this place."

"The Velvet Room is a representation of your psyche. Your recent attempts to discern your meaning resulted in the new section becoming necessary."

"Is that why you decided to cosplay as Sigmund Freud?"

She stopped, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean—everyone has seen that set-up before, the couch, the notepad, the doctor's outfit!"

"I simply thought it was necessary for your growth. I do not believe that it was told to me by any other."

"The collective unconscious is a bitch, Fool."

"Shut up, Minatos."

"Aw, come on? After all the help I gave you?"

"I think what you gave me was a headache."

* * *

She put him down outside the Velvet Room, in the midst of the sympathetic looks he was getting from some passerby. He didn't quite get what it was, but they probably just thought he pissed her off somehow.

"I insist that you follow me, to minimize your fatigue." She turned to him and clasped his hand in her own.

"I'm really fine, even if I'm a little bit tired—"

"Your health is not a matter of ease, Trickster." Her voice dropped to a low tone as she turned away. "...Not to me."

"Huh? What was that?"

"Nothing of importance. Let us commence on our journey."

She dragged him through the central street of Shibuya before he actually thought to ask if she knew where they were going.

"I read about it in that travel pamphlet you gifted to me."

"Gifted?" _Eh, strange way to put it, but no great harm in it._

"Just this way, Trickster. I believe I know of what you seek." Looks like they had switched who was playing tour guide.

* * *

Ren didn't think this was how he was going to celebrate the utter decimation of Cognitive Shujin. Imagined a meeting with everyone else, perhaps a wrap-up party of sorts with curry and coffee and blackjack and booze, even though Makoto would definitely get on his case about the latter two.

But hanging out with the attractive and nice lady who'd been bending over backwards as of late to help him out of his brooding and angst was more than acceptable.

If a little scary.

"Lavenza… You know this is a red-light district, right?" Ren looked around at the prefecture's neon skyline, as it was rapidly becoming more and more familiar to him. He'd been there before when Ann invited him to a shoot.

She nodded and flicked through the pamphlet again. "It says here that there are many spots to 'relax with those close to you', and it has a little heart next to it. Can you tell me what this means, Trickster?" She held it in front of his face, so he could get a better look. He ignored the skimpy swimsuit model on the next page and read over it.

' _Come to Shinjuku, home to the be-e-est hotels in Tokyo! Sleep a few nights in one of our premi-e-er hotels, and spend some time with your spe-e-ecial someone.'_

_Why did you assign an accent in your head?_

_Don't ask me, I'm you._

"Well, er, it _does_ say that, but- I think you missed the point."

She perked up a little, curious. "How so?"

"See, I can't tell you without having to explain... Uh, the birds and the bees, and that's not even a conversation I've (officially) had before."

_It's amazing what one can learn through unsupervised internet access._

"The… What do birds and bees have to do with hotels?" She asked, confused.

"Let's just… Go somewhere else."

The implication that she would have slept in a hotel with him, _that kind_ or otherwise, was completely lost on him.

* * *

Because he was actually conscious of his surroundings this time around, he managed to show Lavenza some parts of Yongen-Jaya. She ran up to the second-hand shop nearly immediately after they left the station. The old man, a Hierophant, was pleasantly surprised, and was happy to let her look around. It seemed like she'd forgotten her reasoning for dragging him around.

Ren leaned against the wall as she fiddled with an old Rubix cube while kneeling on the faded rug.

"Interesting girl you got there, kid." The old man padded over with a cane, grinning below his glasses.

He shook his head, still in denial. "Come on, it's not like that."

"Better get your act together," the old man hooted. "You're lucky enough that a scrawny kid like you got a date in the first place."

Ren hung his head, chuckling, "Don't I know it."

"Oh, Trickster!" She hopped up, quickly straightening her dress, before holding out the now-solved cube. "Did I do it correctly?"

The old man whistled, scratching his gray goatee. "Smart too."

"Don't get any ideas of your own." He patted the old man's shoulder before standing upright, and turning towards Lavenza. He held out a thumbs up.

She smiled, handed him the cube, and moved to keep looking around.

"Like a kid in a toy-store." He eyed the toy, before handing it over to the shopkeeper, so he could ring it up.

She wasn't too interested in the books, but she did flick through a few. From past experience, he really should have been more scared of that possibility.

Eh, what's the worst that could happen.

* * *

He showed her along the side-street, wisely trying to keep her focus off the bath-house and on Leblanc.

"Yeah, so Boss serves coffee here, and-" He cut himself off, seeing all the people inside.

_Boss, Makoto, Ryuji, why's Yusuke here, oh, there's Morgana, Ann, Shi- Ho, fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuckity fuck fuck fuck fuck._

"First off." Boss stopped grinding beans and pierced through to his soul with one of the angriest glares he'd ever seen. "You did not come home last night. So I thought, hey, kid can take care of himself, it's Saturday, he'll get some sleep later. But then, you weren't here this morning. Now, I don't care what you do with your spare time, or who you spend it with. BUT!" He pointed a finger straight at the group of students. "Your friends have been here all day, waiting for you to study, and it's _noon._ "

"..."

"Excuse me, Sakura-san, allow me a moment?" Makoto stood up stiffly, an eerie grin on her face. Not like the ones in Mementos, it was infinitely more terrifying.

"Knock yourself out." He seemed satisfied with letting Makoto deal out the punishment.

She walked up to him, making him flinch back, involuntarily.

"Where. Were. You?"

_That's literally a question I can't answer without outing myself as a Persona-user, and there aren't any other alternatives._

He gulped and gave the fourth-worst answer, right behind that, 'Lavenza's house', and love hotel. "Honestly, I don't know either."

"You. Don't. Know?"

Ryuji felt a pang of sympathy, but kept his gaze low to keep her attention off him. He grabbed Morgana's scruff tighter and kept him from jumping over the seats and complicating things further.

"I think I fell asleep after school, you know, Mishima needed something and the photography club dragged me around…" He awkwardly laughed, trying to ignore the tension. "I was pretty wiped out yesterday, so I just… You know?"

She didn't seem quite satisfied by the answer, but it looked like she understood it was the best one he could give with Boss around. Regardless, she grabbed his hair and yanked his ear right next to his mouth.

She whispered quickly, "If I _ever_ find out that you've been doing things, or _going_ places that a student has no business doing or going to, I am going to shove my _foot_ , so far up your-"

"Hey, hey, I got it!" He jumped back, shooting his arms into the air to placate her.

"And care to explain why Lavenza-chan is with you? And why it took you until noon to get back from school?"

"Uh… Another mental shutdown messed up the train schedule?"

Sojiro flicked on the TV, and switched to the closest news channel. There had been another one.

But it was on a bus.

Ren settled to let himself take whatever punishment was going to be doled out to him, and switched to a Persona with physical resistance. He could have tried for one of his Priestess or Hierophant, but he couldn't use both.

Ann and Shiho sat back, constantly glancing at each other to make sure they were seeing what they were seeing. Seriously, when had he become such good friends with the student council?

"Okay listen, it's a long story, involving multiple gangsters, getting held up in an alley, getting lost in the backstreets in Shibuya, and missing a few trains."

That… Actually seemed to convince them. Makoto crossed her arms, but considering it _had_ happened before, was inclined to believe him.

Boss remained skeptical, scoffing. "Am I really supposed to believe you got in a street fight again? You're not even injured."

"I wasn't last time, right?"

"You're teetering on breaking your probation, punk. You think that you'd get to stay here after getting in fights over and over?"

"..."

"Excuse me, sir," Lavenza walked in front of him, shielding him with her shoulder. "My Trickster doesn't fight, it was completely my doing."

"Trickster? The hell?"

"I am completely at fault, I apologize." She bowed, clasping her hands at her waist. Her voice dropped to an inaudible whisper. "He doesn't fight, he simply _beats you to death."_

"..." Boss shook his head, looking off to the side. His face tightened, "Damn it, fine!" He suddenly slammed a hand on the bar, issuing a loud 'bang' in the cafe. "We're talking about this later, got that?" He stalked past Ren and towards the door. "Lock up after your friends leave. You better not fail your midterms, or you're done!" He left, leaving the cafe in silence.

"..."

"...Guess we gotta study…" Ryuji started scratching at his notebook, breaking the silence.

Ann laughed, clutching her stomach. "Oh my god! That was-"

"Ann…" Shiho warned, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Makoto turned towards Lavenza. "You're still serious about transferring into Shujin, aren't you?"

"Yes, Johanna." Ann and Shiho looked up, staring weirdly at Lavenza.

"...What's with the names?"

Ren chose then to jump back in, "See, Lavenza's foreign, y'know? Her Japanese is still a little off, so she uses English names."

"That makes sense, I guess." Ann looked back to her paper and scratched her head with a mechanical pencil.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, as he pulled up two stools to the table.

Him and Ryuji were the odd men out, as they didn't know much English in the first place. Ann and Shiho apparently had conversations in the language in their spare time and Makoto was too diligent to _not_ know.

Lavenza turned out to actually speak a variety of languages.

"So, you can speak English, Japanese, Mandarin, French, _and_ Latin?"

"Among many others." She nodded, not seeming to know it was impressive.

"Isn't Latin a dead language?" Ren looked up from his study sheet.

"Is it? I wasn't aware. Of course, I'm not aware of who taught it to me either." Everyone did a slight double take.

"...Sure," Makoto sighed, getting used to the weirdness factor of Ren and his… Attendant, was the word she'd previously used.

Lavenza wasn't the best at math, but she was certainly better than Ren. She seemed to have a predisposition towards statistics, likely a side effect of the common state of the Velvet Room. Not much knowledge of sciences either.

She had basic details of history down, but nothing too specific. She knew some from every countries' history, causing Makoto to go down a rabbit hole about an African earth deity, called Bathala. _Guess she would have a fair amount of knowledge on mythologies as well._

So as it turned out, she was the one who ended up tutoring them, (mostly Ren and Ryuji), letting Makoto elaborate when necessary.

"Wait, Yusuke, why are _you_ here?" Ren noticed the quiet boy was sketching something instead of studying.

"I was invited." His pencil didn't stop scratching on the page. Ren leaned over his shoulder and yanked the paper out of his hands.

"You can't draw people without asking!" He could understand why Ann would be an attractive model, that literally being her job, but come on!

"I was simply struck by the muse." He turned to Ann, who had a blank look on her face. Shiho was outright glaring at the blue-haired boy. "I apologize, I am Yusuke Kitagawa, Kosei academy year two, and the student of the master artist, Ma-"

"Oh, you're an artist!" She slapped her forehead lightly, and laughed. "I get it. Still, I would've appreciated it if you asked."

"I'm… Very sorry." Yusuke bowed his head.

"Ah, don't worry about it."

"Though… Would you mind modeling for an art piece?"

"Really? Well, I guess." Ann leaned back and tapped her chin with a pencil. "After midterms though."

"Are you sure? Thank you," he said, with a surprised look.

"Hey, we're all friends here, right? Any friend of Ren is a friend of mine!" She made a thumbs up, as everyone glanced at Ren.

He awkwardly sat there during the ensuing silence, shying away from the attention..

"So… Where _exactly_ were you earlier?" Ann asked playfully. "You told your old man you were at school, but I don't think he bought it."

"Boss isn't my dad, come on."

"Could've fooled me," she shrugged, slyly looking at Lavenza, who was just sitting there, watching the group interact. "What were you doing with Ren?"

"I was taking care of him," she said, matter-of-factly.

_Thank god I didn't let her explain things to Boss._

He felt a hand grab his collar from behind and twist it slightly.

"How so?" Ah, looks like Makoto is really playing the older sister well. Or would that be the 'team mom'?

"It is my duty to make sure all of his needs are fulfilled."

The collar tightened.

"His- His needs?" Shiho cut in, acting in place of Ann, who was clutching her sides and cackling silently.

"Of course, I don't believe I should speak of them with present company."

"She means Personae, she means- AH! Fuck, Makoto, I can't breathe!" He whispered out, his collar nearly collapsing his windpipe.

"...I think that as long as you all study until testing begins, we can end this here for today." She let go of his collar, letting him nearly collapse for some oxygen, and stood up.

"Yeah, I think we should be going too…" Ann and Shiho got up, letting Ryuji out of his cramped corner. Yusuke sensed that he should be going, and got up as well.

That left only three of them in the cafe.

"Lavenza-chan, would you mind leaving us be for a moment?"

"He seems to be in danger, however I will oblige." She bowed and walked up into his room. Not that Makoto noticed, with her back turned.

"So. You're not doing anything _immoral,_ are you?"

"I'll be honest, I just woke up in the Velvet Room."

"..."

"..."

"...Oh my god! Why didn't I think of that!" She clutched at her face while she cried out in embarrassment.

"Well, I couldn't say it in front of the others."

"Ugh. Fine, just keep it PG whenever you're doing… _Whatever you two do._ I remember the hot springs, so I know you've taken her outside the room."

"No, I haven't at all, actually."

"What?"

It appeared that both of them were operating under different meanings of 'taken'.

He's a teenage boy, can you blame him?

"...Regardless, I should be able to trust you, even if you are on probation, isn't that right?"

"I'll do my best."

_I am thou_

_Thou art I_

_Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become the wings of rebellion that breakth thy chains of mortality._

_With the bond of the High Priestess Arcana, Thou will obtain the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

_That one was a bit late, wasn't it? Must be a thing with the wording._

"Is it okay if I do stuff like that if I'm outside my school uniform?"

" _What was that?"_

"Nothing, nothing."

"Oh, Lavenza-chan, before I forget."

The attendant poked her head downstairs. "Yes?"

"You can start attending classes if you bring in that paperwork before Wednesday."

"Alright, thank you, Johanna."

"We're not doing that stuff right now, you can just call me Makoto."

"Oh, but I couldn't! It would be quite improper for me to be so informal."

"If you're going to go to school, you will need to loosen up a little." She stopped, thinking for a moment. "That _does_ sound strange for me to say, doesn't it?"

"Yep."

"Ha. Well, goodbye for now." Makoto swiftly left the two of them.

"..." Ren sat down at the counter to think about how he was going to play this.

* * *

"You want me to take on _another_ boarder? And a _girl,_ no less? Are you stupid, or just plain crazy?" Boss stared at them while he crossed his legs at the bar. They'd placed the paperwork in between them on the table, already filled out to the best of their ability. Lavenza said she would handle whatever they left blank, whatever that meant.

"I can use the couch and some blankets," he offered.

"If it's a matter of funds, I can provide compensation, sir."

Ren gave her an odd look out of the corner of his eye, but continued, "She's transferring into Shujin and needs a mailing address, but her folks are overseas and don't have a home around here." That wasn't even a lie, he just didn't mention it was the Sea of Souls in particular.

"This is completely ridiculous. I can't allow two teenagers to sleep in the same room unsupervised."

"I'll buy drywall and wood glue." He'd find a way. Considering that he could take some stress out on the shadows in Mementos anytime and get paid for it, he'd be just fine. "Hell, I'll buy a door and a lock."

"This is completely- Your _eagerness_ gives me more reason to not trust you, can't you tell?"

"I'm just trying to help out my friend, Boss. Do you have space in your house?"

The man started glaring. "That's none of your-"

"I know, I know, that's why I suggested here first. Really, if you're that concerned about it, install a sound recorder or something."

"You watch your mouth. You don't get to make demands of me."

"I'm just saying-"

"Excuse me, if I may?" The two men turned towards Lavenza. "I can take care of myself, but I would be ever so grateful for your grace. I really would like to learn what school is like, so please, allow me to stay here?" She bowed, causing Boss to look away.

"Damn kids… Fine, fine. I better not hear anything strange from the store's cameras until you're done setting up the separate arrangements, got it?"

"Yes Boss, thank you." He bowed his head, letting the older man pass judgement.

...

"You know, he didn't say anything about after."

_Shut up, Minatos._

* * *

Ren stared up at the ceiling as he lay on the couch with a loose blanket. He could get some shopping done before midterms started, if Makoto didn't bug him too much about studying.

The sounds of Lavenza's soft breathing traveled from his old bed, the sheets long since changed. They'd mutually agreed to face away from each other while changing into their nightclothes, because there were cameras downstairs, and y'know…

He could only barely make out the wooden beams, from the little midnight lights that leaked through the window.

"...Lavenza… Are you awake?" He whispered.

"..."

"..."

"...I am, yes… Do you need something?" She whispered back, the sounds fading into the worn wooden paneling.

"I was just wondering… Can you call me something else when we're at school?" He felt a bit ridiculous asking, but he was a bit too far past the impossible to quit while he was ahead.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… Just say my name... Calling me 'Trickster' all the time could cause some problems…"

"I believe I've told you before; I cannot be so informal with your title…"

"You should. It's a school, not everyone is uptight all the time, y'know?"

"...I see. Thank you, Trick-"

"Come on, you can say it." He laughed a little, as she sputtered.

"Re- Ama- Oh! I've read that first names are only used with affection, are they not?"

"Sometimes, I guess… It's really fine though, most of my other friends call me Ren." _Whether it gets them in trouble or not._

"Are you certain?"

"Yeah, totally."

"Ve- Very well!" She quickly said, only a few tones above the whisper. "Goodnight, Re- Ren."

"Goodnight, Lavenza."

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Strength Arcana._

...

Tomorrow was judgement day, the day they would see if all of their efforts in the cognitive world would pay off.

He turned over again and tried to go back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God damn, the tension in that cafe was tough as a brick, I was caught in a slump trying to get rid of it after. Guess that means I need to work on tone, I dunno.
> 
> Thank you to NoRoleModelz for beta'ing this chapter, he always does a great job, and his works are honestly some of the most interesting bits of fanfic I've seen, even if he doesn't finish them (as he has said himself).
> 
> I have gone back and added a quick summary of 3FES by SamJaz to the prologue for posterity's sake and so that people don't have to read a seven-year-old series of fics. Also so that more people can read my blatant wish fufillment- I mean huh, what? Crossposting on AO3 has begun as well.
> 
> Review, you know the drill.


End file.
